Managerial Madness – Rebels Jamie Morrissey and Emmet Brennan rip up the rule book
The ‘Boxing Management Guide for Dummies’ states Jamie Morrissey versus Emmet Brennan is a fight that should never happen.
All the rules of the traditional boxing road point to keeping the pair on different paths at this stage of their career.
Indeed, the exciting light heavyweight showdown ignores a glut of the Top 10 ‘Don’ts’ in the aforementioned guide to mentoring a fighter. Not that the Irish fight fan is complaining as they look set to benefit from Morrissey and Brennan’s tendency to shy away from the norm.
There is massive excitement brewing about their BUI Celtic title meeting on the undercard Katie Taylor’s huge rematch with Chantelle Cameron – and it’s true to say that sense of anticipation has roots in the fact it’s a good match-up likely to deliver.
However, many fans travel to the 3Arena on November 25th with a schoolboy giddiness, giggling with glee knowing the pair are just about to rip up the rule book so many stringently adhere to.
Those same supporters are also looking forward to being able to leave an Arena, that once played host to another mould-breaking match-up that delivered – Jono Carroll versus Declan Geraghty back in 2014 – quipping ‘I told you so,’ gloating in defiance to the ‘build a record’ advocates.
Granted there has been an increase in the All-Irish fight in recent times and, potentially inspired by the likes of stablemate Graham McCormack, Morrissey in particular has been the poster boy for putting entertainment ahead of more traditional matchmaking. In fact, that’s what attracted him to the Olympian. The stage it plays and the opportunity to be associated in any small way to Katie Taylor, an Irish sporting legend, also adds weight to the reward side of the scales, yet still, this is a fight some teams would argue against taking.
In the case of the Treaty County man with a degree in true grit, he has earned the right to pick and choose with his blistering start.
The Shaun Kelly-trained former Muay Thai Irish champion with no amateur background whatsoever dived into an all-Irish fight in just his second fight and has remained in the early days deep end since. He agreed to fight Robbie Burke last minute with no title on the line and eventually won the Fight of the Year.
Within one fight he was fighting Ben McGivern for the BUI Celtic title at 168lbs. He then moved up to light heavyweight to accommodate Kevin Cronin and was in back-to-back Fight of the Year contenders with the Kerry man.
So effectively the Muay Thai convert with an allergy to cotton wool has crammed a career’s worth of domestic action into six fights and ‘set the tone’ as promised.
He was somewhat hard done by to see Cronin, a fighter he moved up to accommodate and has a win and a draw with, and Craig McCarthy mandated to fight for the Irish title in a division his record suggests he should be #1 in. Nonetheless, he remains in a strong position, next in line for the winner of that eagerly anticipated clash and well placed to attempt to become a winner of three domestic straps across two weights before he reaches 10-0.
Granted the lure of Katie Taylor, the Matchroom machine, and the DAZN cameras change things slightly but the traditional managerial move would be to wait it out and push for the Irish title next year. Then you bring more than a good name and a reputation for entertaining to the table in a division that has names like Brennan and Tommy Hyde in it.
Instead, the Ian Gaughran-guided Munster man risks it all against a quality amateur with just one pro fight to his name.
On the big game of snakes and ladders that is boxing, Morrissey represents rolling a six and flying up the longest of ladders for Brennan. The clever Dubliner screamed for the fight knowing his November 25 foe wouldn’t say no and that a win will see him step straight onto the solid foundations Morrissey has worked so hard to build.
Yet, while there is possibly more by way of reward in this fight for the Docklands graduate, like his rival, it’s one that traditionalists would question him taking.
The Darren Barker-mentored man has just one fight and six professional rounds to his name. He has also fought just once in since his Olympic exit in 2021 and has been nursing his way back from a shoulder injury.
If anyone would have been afforded time to acclimatize to life in the paid ranks it would have been Brennan. Not to mention, if you were to attempt to skip the queue, Morrissey wouldn’t be the first man you’d pick to help you advance.
The champion is big, strong, tough, durable and as a non-boxing traditionalist is so unique in style and attributes that it’s quite plausible the Dubliner’s extensive amateur CV hasn’t a similar fighter on it. It’s the very least an awkward night’s work for the Dublin Dockland’s man and is a lot closer to a 50-50 match up than the bookies would have you believe. Brennan’s bravery for taking it has to be commended too.
It’s a typical ‘the fans are the real winners’ affair although their gratitude if, as is likely, they are entertained on the night will be as such that the pair could be remembered fondly for years to come.
