“It’s a bit disheartening but I’ll just keep building it up” – Blaney frustrated by poor opponent

The Red Corner Promotions ‘Unfinished Business’ card at the weekend had a refreshingly high number of competitive fights.

However, such is the nature of the sport, late pull-outs dictated that there was an exceedingly easy knockout win for Chris Blaney [5(3)-0].

The Navan middleweight had been due to box Nigerian workhorse Oladimeji Akinde only for a failed brain scan to scupper this fight. His replacement, awkward Hungarian Zoltan Sera, still provided a career-best test, but money issues would see this fight fall by the wayside too.

That led to out-of-shape Romanian Adrian Parlogea being called upon, and the 46 year old boxer was blown away in the second round by Blaney.

While the opponent provided little-to-no challenge for ‘The Ginja Ninja,’ Blaney described to Irish-Boxing.com afterwards that he still had to approach the bout professionally. He outlined how “In the first round we knew nothing about him so we just went in and didn’t do anything stupid or get caught.”

“Second round then we just went in to take him out. After the first round I said it to Ricky [Hatton, trainer] that I cant see him going the next round – and my prediction came true.”

The Meath puncher was in no mood to celebrate following the easy victory, and admitted that “I’m not happy with the opponent but I’m happy to have a fight. It was either fight him or fight nobody, we had two pull-outs. I’m just happy to get a fight.”

“There’s nothing I could do, I just have to fight whoever is in front of me, and he was in front of me.”

“It’s a bit disheartening but I’ll just keep building it up, I’ll fight any time, I’ve done it before at seven days notice and I’ll do it again.”

Trainer Hatton, who recently secured his first world title from the corner with Zhanat Zhakiyanov, commended his man for getting the job done cleanly and effectively, and predicted that there will be tougher test soon.

“If he hadn’t have looked sensational he have got a rollicking,” explained Hatton. “Because that’s what you’ve got to do, yu’ve still got to look good, no matter how good or bad they are. They’re there to be beaten and you have to impress and that’s what he’s done again.”

“Sometimes you have to go through these opponents. Six rounds next and there’ll be tougher tests. We want some rounds now. He’s breezing through these opponents. He’s turning into an all-round professional now.”

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)