Darragh Foley to face Canadian champ in WBA Eliminator
Not quite as clear cut as Dennis Hogan’s WBO World title eliminator against Jimmy Kelly, but another Australian-based Irish fighter has been handed the chance to boost his hopes of securing a World level shot.
Dubliner Darragh Foley [14(8)-2(0)] will headline a St Patrick’s Day fight night at the Star Casino and will take on World ranked Canadian opposition on a Johnny Lewis-promoted ‘Fighting Irish’ Show.
In the past twelve months ‘Super’ Foley has made a real impact in the light welterweight division successfully defending his WBA Oceania title three times and improving his world ranking with the WBA to #11. The charismatic puncher with a tendency for entertaining fights also picked up the OPBF, WBO Oriental, and interim WBC Asia belts in during the year.
Foley steps it up a notch on Saturday March 17th however and will take on WBA #14 and NABA champion Steven Wilcox [18(5)-2(0)-1] in a title eliminator which should see the winner crack the top ten.
27 year old Wilcox is on a three-fight winning streak since losing to Oscar Arjona – a defeat he subsequently avenged. A Canadian champion in both the amateurs and the pros, ‘The Piranha’ will provide a well-schooled, technically proficient opponent for the big hitting Foley.
With Terence Crawford having moved up in weight, the WBA 140lbs title is currently vacant. #1 and #2 Rances Barthelemy and Kiril Relikh look set to fight for the belt in Texas on February 10th in a rematch of their May 2017 scrap.
