Fighter-Manager role won’t distract Padraig McCrory on big Féile night
Padraig McCrory says he has managed the situation well.
The Feile bill topper assures taking boxing’s equivalent of the player-manager role won’t affect his performance this weekend.
‘The Hammer’ officially confirmed his move into boxing management a week out from his massive Féile Fight Night headline bout.
The Belfast super middle signed gym mate Gerard Hughes which, considering the super bantamweight populates his undercard, effectively means he will be double jobing at the Falls Park on Friday.
However, the Conlan Boxing star assures all the hard work was done well before the pre-fight week announcement.
McCrory says the fight was negotiated and pencilled in advance and his fight night duties won’t go beyond a quick word, something he would most likely have done as a friend and teammate anyway.
“I arranged Gerard’s slot a while back and in terms of discussion it wasn’t too hard,” he assures Irish-boxing.com.
“In terms of fight night, I’ll have a chat with him but all the work’s done and I’m confident he will take care of business.”
McCrory has high hopes for his fellow Dee Walsh-trained fighter and believes he is in a division that will allow him to enjoy success early.
In fact, he attempted to get his new charge a title fight with Ruadhan Farrell on this Conlan Boxing card – only for it to fall through as ‘Rudy’ became a father for the first time.
The latest manager on the Irish scene is content for his man to get a good workout in what will be his second six-rounder before potentially resisting the domestic title fight later in the year.
“Gerards in a division where a few good wins can lead to some big opportunities,” he adds. “I’m happy for Gerard to get another six-rounder in this weekend, gain experience on a television card and experience everything that comes with that.
“Ruddy and Gerard was a fight we looked at for this show but unfortunately it didn’t materialise. We’ve touched on a future fight but this one comes first, then we will explore what’s next.”
Speaking on his decision to take up management McCrory said: “Management is something I’ve been interested in for a while. Boxing is a sport I love and enjoy being involved in and will continue to do so.”
