Irish boxing set for Scottish invasion

Jay Byrne is just the first.

Expect plenty of Irish boxers to take part in big fights in Scotland this year and many Scottish fighters to come to Ireland for big fights.

That’s according to Sam Kynoch, the fight boss with the biggest stable in Scotland.

Irish fighters’ eligibility for the ten-round BBBoC Celtic title and Scottish fighters’ eligibility for the eight-round BUI Celtic title make them perfect bedfellows for each other, with a clear path of progression there.

The BUI Celtic offers a boxer, usually, their first title experience, while the BBBoC equivalent provides a next step on from national title level.

Dubliner Byrne fought Paul Kean for the BUI Celtic light middleweight title last May before defeating Marc Kerr for the BBBoC Celtic belt in November.

‘The Negotiator’ will work with Kynoch again in March when he defends his belt versus Stefan Sanderson and the Scottish fight boss has revealed that Byrne isn’t the only Irish boxing figure he intends to work with in 2019.

Kynock told Irish-Boxing.com that “I’m delighted to be working with Jay Byrne for a third time with this contest against Stefan Sanderson and I am also speaking with other Irish managers in relation to potential match-ups for later in the year.”

“Boxing is booming in both Scotland and Ireland – so the more competitive match-ups we can make between the two countries the better in my opinion.”

While he did not mention names, Irish-Boxing.com understand that Kynoch looks set to co-operate with Boxing Ireland Promotions this year and an increasingly Scottish flavour to the ‘Celtic Clash’ series is expected.

Six such shows have taken place over the past two years and the next edition is due to be announced imminently.

The series, which has played out at he National Stadium and Good Counsel GAA so far but also looks set to expand into Belfast, has been credited with bringing the BUI Celtic title into prominence.

The belt is rather unique in that it is fought over eight rounds, providing small hall boxers with ‘big’ fights where it was previously exorbitantly expensive and difficult-to-market journeymen

Kynoch is a fan and added that “I think Celtic Titles are great stepping stones in the paths of Scottish and Irish boxers. We have the BUI and BBBofC versions there to be contested.”