Emmet Brennan Tells Super Middles to get him While he’s Not Hot
Emmet Brennan told the Irish super middleweights to get him while he’s not hot.
The Dublin name became a welcome addition to a busy and talent-packed 168lbs division when he made his eagerly anticipated and long-awaited debut in front of a strong Dublin contingent in Belfast on Saturday night.
Brennan looked assured, strong and pro-capable as he beat Angel Emilov, a well-traveled journeyman with Bear Grills survival capabilities, 60-54 on the MHD Close Encounters card.
As expected the regularly over-analytical talent wasn’t overly happy with his performance and feels there is still some learning to be done before he is completely comfortable out of his vest.
That however hasn’t changed his desire to go straight into domestic action. The 32-year-old is targeting a September BUI Celtic title fight and thinks his compatriots at the weight should be targeting the same.
The Darren Barker and Joe Calzaghe guided fighter, who first wants to take a nibble out of the Big Apple with a New York-hosted fight in August, argues the likes of Jamie Morrissey, Kevin Cronin, Craig McCarthy, and Tommy Hyde should be all tempted to fight now.
Brennan believes his amateur background makes victory over him a coup for the majority of super middleweights currently operating below the levels of Padraig McCrory and Jason Quigley, and says at this stage his crown is most susceptible to the scalping knife.
“There are a good few of us there at super middleweight, let’s just have a scrap,” he told Irish-boxing.com post the win.
“I am a big scalp for them coming back off the Olympics. This is the best time for them to get me. I am at 1-0 and I’m only going to get better. I wasn’t exactly crisp and sharp there tonight so if I’m the likes of them I’m looking for that fight straight away.
“I’m only going to get better. I only had three spars going into that fight, three top spars with top-quality opponents, but still… I’m only going to get sharper and better at the weight. [If I was those] lads I’d be looking for me now because now is the best chance they have of beating me,” he adds before laying out his immediate plan.
“I want the Celtic title soon, so ideally fight in New York in August and then for the Celtic title in September.”
There is a general consensus among the Irish boxing fraternity that Brennan is one of a number of emerging Dublin names that could bring regular boxing back to the capital.
He proved his ticket-selling capabilities on Saturday night, bringing a large crowd to Belfast but rather than look at the support in a business sense he took huge personal satisfaction from it.
“I was very proud to have so many people come up from Dublin. It was a proud moment. It’s been a tough two years… but I must be likable or something. To sell that many tickets means a lot to me because they are spending £60-£80 pounds on a ticket then they are traveling up from Dublin and spending money on hotels, transport, and a night out. It means a lot and I was very proud going into the ring. I’m extremely grateful for tonight and that’s what I’ll take away from it. Performance aside it’s an extremely proud night for me and my family and my friends.”
Photo credit Matthew Spalding
