Padraig McCrory on the verge of confirming massive Las Vegas fight
Padraig McCrory is very close to confirming a massive world title fight.
‘The Hammer’ is the front-runner in the race to face Edgar Berlanga with Eddie Hearn confirming during Katie Taylor fight that it’s a fight he is considering making.
Irish-boxing.com has been informed it’s as close to a done deal as you can get without the ink drying on the paper and the popular Belfast fighter will challenge the New Yorker early next year.
In fact, a fight between the pair should be confirmed for the second or third weekend of January.
“He is in the mix,” said Hearn.
“If we’re looking at a guy from the top 15, I think he’s an exciting opponent for Berlanga. It’s a good test, we’ll see.”
Speaking to Belfast Live the reigning Irish Boxing Awards Boxer of the Year said: “I have agreed a figure and we are waiting on confirmation from the TV broadcaster. But we got an offer and came to an agreement on the financial numbers.
“Two dates have been mentioned and I have agreed to both. So hopefully it gets confirmed and rubber-stamped.
“I was in Las Vegas for my honeymoon in 2017 and felt a bit of a fanboy in the MGM Grand, which has hosted some of the biggest fights in boxing history. And now I am on the verge of fighting on the strip.
“It has been some journey. From fights where I made next to nothing, to now main event in Las Vegas is a fairy tale.
“People will have me as a massive underdog, but these are the shots you have to take. But I will be a very live underdog.”
Berlanga was last seen outpointing Jason Quigley and although he is undefeated is a fighter some suggest McCrory could upset the recent Matchroom signing.
‘The Chosen One’ was been earmarked for greatness when he blitzed his way to 19-0, registering first-round knockouts along the way.
However, he has been taken the distance in his last four and people have questioned if there was a reason Top Rank let him go. Donegal’s Quigley also gave him trouble in New York earlier this year and showed there is a way to frustrate him.
Conlan Boxing’s McCrory moved to within touching distance of big name fight when he stopped Leon Bunn to win the IBO light heavyweight title last year but has been nursing a hand injury since.
Eager to stay busy and relevant he fought with the bad hand, the 35-year-old got three fights in, including a Feile bill topper. He’s has now rested since the summer, addressed the issue, and will ready to try and win the jackpot in Las Vegas.
