All-Irish FOTY rematch announced as Celtic Clash 5 headliner

The headline fight for the ‘Celtic Clash 5‘ bill in Dublin has been confirmed, and Good Counsel GAA club in Drimnagh will play host to an all-Irish Fight of the Year rematch.

Boxing Ireland and Tony Davitt expand from the National Stadium, where they ran three shows last year, and enter the small hall scene on Saturday March 24th and have the perfect fight to headline at the atmospheric D12 venue.

Super featherweights Stephen McAfee [2(2)-0-1] and Colin O’Donovan [1(1)-1(1)-1] will do battle once again in a repeat of their six-round war on the Celtic Clash 4 card in December which ended in a 58-58 draw.

This time round though the bout will take place over eight rounds and the vacant BUI Celtic 130lbs title will be on the line, offering the winner a pathway to the Irish title.

The pair’s initial bout came from nowhere but exploded into something special. Only announced at the start of fight week, the clash would crescendo into an epic toe-to-toe final round that left both boxers bloodied as they traded to a standstill.

Both believed they had done enough, and both also felt that they had more to give. Dubliner McAfee felt he lost his composure somewhat after a strong start, while Cork’s O’Donovan would note how he was out-of-shape having taken the bout on seven days notice.

Sallynoggin’s McAfee was announced for Celtic Clash 5 last month in a six rounder to get back from the draw and perhaps build toward a rematch, but Youghal fighter O’Donovan would expedite the process with a vicious call-out in which he promised to “beat the shit out of him, for fun.”

The show next month will feature a seven-fight undercard, with Martin Quinn, Niall O’Connor, and debutant Owen Duffy currently confirmed to appear.