Noely Murphy claims BUI Celtic title to the delight of massive crowd
Cork southpaw Noely Murphy claimed the BUI Celtic welterweight title tonight in front of a raucous crowd in Dublin.
The Rebel redhead fought Avelino Vazquez for the belt at the National Stadium in the chief support bout on the Red Corner Promotions ‘Unfinished Business’ card.
In what was a mature and controlled display from the 22 year old, Murphy took an eight-round points win.
Murphy had brought a large crowd from his native Macroom and the reception he got when walking to the ring will take some beating – with the Cork fans making a deafening noise.
A cagey enough start was shaded by Murphy through a few spurts of bodywork.
The fight opened up in the second, and Vallejo would be staggered by a sharp counter left.
A quieter third then followed, but some heavy shots right at the conclusion drew chants of ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’ from the Red Army.
Murphy was increasingly dominant in the fourth, bullying the Spaniard around the ring.
Two big lefts in the fifth left Vazquez momentarily wooden-legged, but the gritty Galician saw out the stanza.
Vazquez’s output was dropping considerable as Murphy remained on top in the sixth. Conversely, Murphy upped the workrate as he entered the seventh round for the first time in his career. It has to be said that Vazquez responded well, but never looked like threatening the Cork boxer’s commanding lead.
The pair went toe-to-toe in the final round, much to the crowd’s delight, as Murphy rounded off an impressive performance.
Going to the scorecard there seemed to be little doubt, although the final tally of 78:75 seemed harsh on the Irishman if anything.
The win sees Murphy move to 9(2)-0, while the game Vazquez drops to 4(0)-3(0).
The Lou DiBella-promoted prospect will now return to his training base in Woodlawn, New York. The Munster youngster is now #1 in the Irish welterweight rankings (champion Peter McDonagh) and we could see a title fight down the line, whether it be back here or in the Big Apple.
