Drained Blaney happy to prove his “heart and grit” ahead of first title fight
Chris Blaney [8(3)-0] gave what he described as his “worst performance to date” on Friday night, but he dug deep to get the win and set up a maiden title shot.
The Navan super middleweight fought on a Black Country Boxing card in Walsall and was given a real run-out by Anthony Fox, needing a strong finish to seal a 58-56 six-round points win.
While he was unhappy with his performance, Blaney was happy to overcome the test.
Looking back, Blaney believes he has the reason for his below-par showing pinpointed.
“I weighed in three hours before the fight which had a big effect on my performance,” he told Irish-Boxing.com.
“I smashed training for the last six weeks, so my fitness shouldn’t have been an issue, but I felt drained in the third round.”
Nevertheless, the Ricky Hatton-trained puncher can take plenty of positives
Blaney outlined how “that fight showed I had a lot of heart and grit.”
“It was a good fight and he’s a game fighter which is what I always want.”
With the win in the bag and no cuts or injuries to report, Blaney can now finally look ahead to his big title fight next month.
‘The Ginger Ninja’ boxes for the BUI Celtic super middleweight title against Frenchman [17(4)-30(5)-6] over eight rounds on the Red Corner ‘Champions Elect’ card at the National Stadium on Saturday October 7th. ‘The Tank’ hails from Bayonne in the Basque country and is a game come-forward fighter.
Blaney added that “I’m back in camp on Wednesday, so straight back into to win this Celtic belt in October.”
“The support since I’ve turned professional is second to none and I hope for it to continue and hopefully pick up my first title!”
The ‘Champions Elect’ card also features Irish champion Paddy McDonagh, debutant Karl Kelly, Jake Best, the return of Allan Phelan, Victor Rabei, a fight between super middleweights Vladimir Belujsky and Manny Bique, a BUI Celtic light middleweight title clash between Dublin’s Craig O’Brien and former Welsh champion Lee Churcher, and is headlined by a BUI Celtic welterweight title fight for Noely Murphy.
Tickets cost €40 (gallery) or €60 (ringside) and are available from the fighters involved.
Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)
