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English fighter a shock addition to Ireland’s Last Man Standing line-up


Another new replacement fighter has been confirmed for Ireland’s Last Man Standing returns closer to a full complement of boxers.

The eight-man single-elimination tournament on Saturday March 3rd at the National Stadium in Dublin fell victim to three early withdrawals – Padraig McCrory, Thomas Finnegan, and Henry Coyle.

Gerard Healy was brought in to bring the numbers back up to six and this afternoon English fighter Nick Quigley has been announced as the seventh fighter for the big-money competition.

The Liverpool boxer has experience of the format having finished runner-up to Robert Llyod Taylor in Prizefighter Light Middleweights back in 2011.

The all-action Scouser was forced by medical professionals to stop boxing following an English title loss to Erick Ochieng and he would be out of the ring for three years, returning on the BIBA crcuit for a busy 2015 before another extended period out which was ended when he took on Cork middleweight Spike O’Sullivan in Boston in a Golden Boy on ESPN headline fight at the House of Blues.

Against O’Sullivan, Quigley contributed to a furious four rounds, eventually being pulled out for his own safety.

The 29-year-old is younger brother to super middleweight Tony, and older brother of super featherweight and former Jono Carroll opponent Johnny. It is believed that Quigley is ineligible for the Irish title – for which the mandatory challenger status is one of the prizes on offer for the winner next month.

Alongside a shot at the green belt, there is also a prize pool of €59,000 – with the winner getting a guaranteed €25,000 for themselves and €5,000 for their amateur club.

The other six announced boxers for the tournament are Healy, Chris Blaney, Bernard Roe, Alfredo Meli, Sean McGlinchey, and Roy Sheahan.

A packed undercard features an Irish light middleweight title fight between Craig O’Brien and Jay Byrne, as well as appearances from Dylan McDonagh, Vladimir Belujsky, Dylan Moran, Paddy McDonagh, Cillian Reardon, Victor Rabei, and Allan Phelan.

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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