Victor Rabei wants Jake Hanney Irish title Rematch in June – “Don’t Bitch Out!”
Victor Rabei [7(2)-0] says he will stop Jake Hanney if the pair fight for the Irish title in York Hall as rumoured this summer.
The Moldovan-Dub outpointed the returning ‘Wizard’ in a high-profile TG4-broadcast BUI Celtic light welterweight title defence over eight rounds last month.
Post the ‘Clash of the Titans’ win Hanney [5(4)-2(1)] called for a return, claiming that he and TV pundits on the night Andy Lee and Spike O’Sullivan had felt he won the fight – despite suffering from the ring rust accrued over a two-year absence.
Rabei argues he was, like the scorecards suggested, a clear winner and his team didn’t see too much value in a return as a results.
However, if Hanney and a rematch provides passage to an Irish title, the St Michael’s Inchicore man is open to a repeat – and claims if they do rematch he would stop his fellow Dub this time around.
“Yeah,” he replies when asked if a rematch is a possibility.
“I was stuck in second gear in the fight with Jake and wasn’t really happy with my performance. I think I won the fight very easily but if the fight is to happen for the Irish title I’m going for a stoppage.”
Early talk is the return, which looks a model for a Dublin card, may instead happen in London’s York Hall – an occurrence which may have something to do with complaints regarding the exorbitant cost of promoting a show in Dublin.
Rabei is out again on May 18th on the MHD Promotions ‘Summer Brawl’ show at the Europa Hotel in Belfast and Hanney will fight the following weekend in the same city at the Devenish Complex on ‘Celtic Clash 8’.
The talk is the pair could then meet across the Irish Sea in the summer on a Hellraiser show in London that also features Cillian Reardon, Craig McCarthy, and Owen Duffy.
“Yeah, I think it’s looking that way,” Rabei responded when asked about London being a possible venue for the Irish title fight.
“We’ll see. Hopefully Jake stays in the gym.”
Rabei would then warn Hanney on social media to “be careful what you wish for boy.”
“You want a rematch? Let’s do it. June 22nd, York Hall. Better not bitch out of this one!”
“I’ve showed up to the first one, will you show up to the second?”
Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)
