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Joe Fitzpatrick looking forward to embarrassing Stephen Webb


Joe Fitzpatrick [8(5)-0] claims he will embarrass Stephen Webb into becoming a journeyman come February 9th before going on to prove he is Ireland’s best lightweight throughout 2019.

‘The Dragon’ returns from a 14 month lay off on the ‘A Night to Remember’ card in an interesting West Belfast derby and is promising to return with a bang.

The Divis talent impressed his way to 8-0 with some stand-out displays between debuting in 2015 and his last fight in October 2017, but became the forgotten man as he lost motivation and discipline and stopped fighting.

The lightweight division has since become one of the hottest in the country and has produced some highly entertaining domestic encounters-and the MHD fighter claims he back to make it his own.

Starting with his fight against St James’s Webb [1(0)-0], southpaw Fitzpatrick claims he is going to impress again and become Ireland lightweight’s heavy hitter by winning the national title in style.

“It’s great to get back I’m looking forward to getting back into fights. I’m in a great team, a team which is like a family,” Fitzpatrick, who has linked up with trainer Sean McCullagh, told Irish-Boxing.com.

“The lightweight division is my division. I’m the best lightweight in Ireland and I’m going to prove that this year.

“I’m going to win the Irish title this year and then I’ll move on to bigger titles, I’m currently 8-0 and want nothing other than challenging fights from after February 9th.”

“I plan in winning an Irish title, the the BUI Celtic title and get myself up in ranking for for the British title,” the fighter with a new found drive added.

Considering the recent lay off the majority expected the Commonwealth Games silver medallist to return in a ring rust freeing relative gimme.

However, he fights confident recent debutant Webb on an exciting Ulster Hall show that also plays host to a vacant Irish lightweight title fight between Feargal McCrory and Karl Kelly.

It looks, at the very least, a test for the slick operator although he doesn’t see it that way.

Fitzpatrick suggests he will perform like he has never been away and is adamant he is the A-side of the fight.

Indeed, he goes as far as to say, local rivalry aside, he may as well be fighting a hand-picked journey man on the James Tennyson-topped show.

“All-Irish fight or not an all-Irish, it’s my comeback fight. It’s a handy fight.”

“I commend his confidence as well as I look forward to his embarrassment,” added Fitzpatrick before predicting a dominant win.

“I’ll beat him the way in which I beat my previous opponents. He just another journeyman.”

“This goes one of two ways: I start his career as a journeyman or I finish his career completely.”

Fitzpatrick then addressed a recent interview by Webb with Irish-Boxing.com and continued to raise the stakes further.

While he has no issue playing down the challenge of the confident and straight talking Webb he doesn’t down play what the fight means for the area.

READ: Webb questions if Fitzpatrick will be 100%

“He is honest when he says big fight for our areas. There has always been rivalary between St James’s and Divis in football and in boxing.”

“I see he said all I done is win a Commonwealth silver and beat a few of his mates. What has he done? Got beat in the Antrim Novices and stroked all his mates.”  

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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