‘Kick Start Festivities’ – Owen Corrigan Plots Patrick’s Day Party
What a difference a year makes.
Especially if you are Owen Corrigan and in Australia.
A year to the day since he landed Down Under and walked into his first Aussie boxing gym, the former Enniskerry and Monkstown amateur co-main events the Thunderdome 49 card in Metro City, Northbridge.
The cruiserweight prospect admits it’s ‘mind-blowing’ and sees it as proof Australia is the land of boxing opportunity.
“The day I fight, I will be one year exactly Down Under, so to be the co-main event on a card on Paddy’s weekend is mind-blowing. It’s crazy to see how far you can come within a year,” he tells Irish-boxing.com.
The Ringfit Training Centre trained early days pro won’t only be celebrating his Australian anniversary; Corrigan and the large Irish cohort within his large following will also be celebrating St Patrick’s weekend – and the Dubliner is determined to start the party early.
“The support I’ve got over here is insane. Over a hundred came to my last fight, and it’s the same this time. They are mixed between Irish and Aussies, but they are brilliant because they are loud and they stick together. That means they are easily identified, and you can see who they are supporting,” he adds.
“St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 15th here because it’s not a bank holiday, so the parade will be the day after my fight, so it’s almost as if I’m kick starting the festivities.”
Corrigan impressed on his debut, stopping panto villain King Fahd within two.
“The debut was great,” he comments.
“All I ever wanted to be was a pro boxer, so to eventually make my ring walk was a special moment. I was a huge favourite in the fight. I did my job that I had to do.”
The Dub will be favourite again on Saturday, but again he takes on a boxer with a winning record in China’s Liang Wang. He is happy with the mini test, as he expects to have to step up relatively early in his career.
“I’m in against another winning fighter coming to fight. Look, there are no journey men on this side of the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to build a career properly, but I also want to fight genuine fighters that want to come and fight. More than likely, opportunities will come faster here. If you look at Aussie champions, they don’t have massive records, so the more I can learn now, the better.”
