Paul Hyland Jr v Stephen Ormond no longer an Irish title fight
In some unfortunate news, the Boxing Union of Ireland (BUI) lightweight title will not be on the line next month when Stephen Ormond [24(13)-4(1)] and Paul Hyland [16(6)-0] face off at the SSE Odyssey Arena.
The Dublin v Belfast battle pitted the two top 135lbs fighters on the island against each other and was set to be for the green belt, but the BUI announced this afternoon that this will no longer be the case.
In a tweet sent out from their official account, the governing body stated:
The Stephen Ormond and Paul Hyland Jr bout is no longer sanctioned for the Irish title. Paul has decided not to take out an Irish licence
— BoxingUnionOfIreland (@boxingunionIRL) September 20, 2017
The announcement comes after a topsy-turvy few months for the Irish title.
Initially the BUI implemented an eligibility change that specified that fighters must hold a BUI licence for six months (if based in Europe) or three months (if based outside Europe) before being allowed box for the belt. This was a big change from the previous, more flexible, criteria where the BUI allowed fighters to take out a ‘temporary’ Irish license to partake in title fights.
This would have immediately blocked the Hyland-Ormond title fight, but another amendment was made that allowed fighters who had previously held a BUI licence for six months to be considered for Irish title fights.
As such, Hyland v Ormond was authorised by the BUI as an Irish title fight – until it was reversed today following a meeting of the body yesterday.
The Boxing Union of Ireland provide their title rules on their official website.
When contacted for comment, Hyland’s manager Mark Dunlop was incredulous.
The MHD boss had not been previously informed of the decision, and the aforementioned social media posting was when he learnt the details of the title situation.
Dunlop explained that, for the BUI title to be on the line, Hyland would have to take out a BUI licence and discard his British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) licence. Dunlop was agreeable to this process, but wanted to wait until closer to fight night before doing so to guard against injuries, pull-outs etc.
Dunlop stated that the decision to pull the title at this stage was “insane” and criticised the BUI for their “unprofessionalism” in the announcement of their decision.
Hyland will still defend his IBF East/West Europe belt versus Ormond on the Ryan Burnett v Zhanat Zhakiyanov undercard.
The show next month also features Tyrone McKenna v Tommy Coyle, James Tennyson v Darren Traynor, Feargal McCrory, Tommy McCarthy, Gary Cully, David Oliver Joyce, Jay Byrne, Joe Fitzpatrick and Josh Kelly.
Tickets for the night cost £30, £40, £60, £100, £150 (VIP), and are available from the boxers involved or through HERE
