Jay Byrne Promises Show Will Delight Dublin
Jay Byrne believes he’s promoting the best card Dublin has seen in recent history on April 12.
JB Promotions upgrade from the Warehouse at the Red Cow to the National Stadium on the South Circular Road early next month.
Byrne is adamant it’s not just the size of the venue that upscales, arguing that the bill is an improvement on any show that comes to the capital in recent times.
It’s not quite as blockbuster as the two bills Matchroom promoted with Katie Taylor to the fore, but taking the UFC approach, it’s a fight night packed with 50-50 clashes.
The fighter turned fight maker suggests it’s domestic bliss at the home of Irish boxing with five all-Irish fights, four of which are title affairs.
“In my opinion, this card is the best outside of Belfast in years when you look at it in terms of 50-50 domestic fights,” Byrne said.
“You have four domestic title fights and a big 50-50 domestic fight. It promises to be a fantastic night of action and we re planning a lot of additional production and entertainment guaranteed for all in attendance.”
Top of the bill is a mouthwatering Irish title fight between the domestically decorated Senan Kelly and a fighter ready to bask in an Indian summer, Declan Geraghty. More than a good fight Byrne suggests it is a clash that shows the benefit of JB Promotions running regular fight nights and ensuring their fighters are active.
“The main event is two of our fighters, one in Senan Kelly, who came to me when we set up our business and asked if we could look after him. He wanted to progress onto the next level or he would retire, since then he has won a Celtic and Irish title and entered the EBU rankings at 18.
“Declan Geraghty was having his final fight on our first show as the lack of activity in Ireland had him fed up with the sport. Since then, he has done a U-turn and stayed active and picked up his 1st recognised professional title and now has a chance of achieving the top championship of Ireland.”
Peter Carr and Daniel O’Sullivan meet in an exciting trade fight on the undercard, while there is a battle of Elite amateur champions between Paul Loonam and Myles Casey, a title fight for Glen Byrne, and a guaranteed war between Sean Murray and Richie O’Leary.
“Peter Carr is a fighter who wasn’t a professional when we set up, and he’s now built on our events to title level. Paul Loonam and Myles Casey are two elite-level fighters and there title fight is an intriguing one,” adds Byrne.
“Glenn Byrne, another who made his debut on our first show, is aiming to go 6-0 and pick up his first professional title. Two more of our guys Sean Murray and Richie O’Leary will go at it, the winner will move into contention.”
As well as a big night for Dublin fight fans, Byrne says it’s a huge moment for Byrne and his team. “I feel this is the result of hard work over the past 18 months. We have started on the ground in a small venue and began building a lot of new professionals. Now we are planning a big night at home of boxing in Ireland. Our goal from day one was to reach this venue but only when the time was right. We only wanted to go there with a real fight card and here we are. Building these fighters has enabled that. Look at the card it speaks for itself.”
