Team Whitehouse “good to go” for Jay Byrne Dublin derby

Jay Byrne [4(1)-2(0)] stated that it was off the table last week, but Dublin welterweight rival Gerard Whitehouse [5(1)-0] still wants to get it on next month.

Both fighters feature on the ‘Celtic Clash 2: The Rising’ bill at the National Stadium on Saturday May 27th, and an eight-round title fight between the pair had been suggested.

The two fighters had expressed their willingness to lock horns, but last week saw the proposed clash seemingly shelved.

‘The Negotiator’ Byrne was extremely keen on the bout but, with a fight yet to be agreed or offered, he pulled himself out of the running.

It would subsequently emerge that Whitehouse’s manager, and the co-promoter of the show, Tony Davitt wanted to wait until after Byrne’s bout on Saturday just gone before committing to the fight.

This was a precautionary measure, with promoters Davitt and Leonard Gunning wary of announcing a big fight for the card in case Byrne suffered an injury or significant damage in Glasgow at the weekend.

Here Byrne took on Rio Olympian Josh Kelly over six rounds on a big Sky Sports bill, and the Loughlinstown man would go the distance against the extremely impressive debutant, winning plaudits for his grit and ambition.

Some swelling under the eye aside, Byrne seemed to come through the bout relatively unscathed and will appear as scheduled on the May 27th bill. Therefore, Team Whitehouse are now keen to start negotiations and make the fight.

Crank contacted Irish-Boxing.com following the Kelly-Byrne fight and gave credit to the ambitious 30 year old, saying that “it was a good performance from Jay.”

The 21 year old Fingal fighter would reiterate his desire to share the ring with Byrne and, crucially, noted that his team are ready to begin talks.

“I’m good to go for May 27th now if he is,” Whitehouse stated.

“My side is one hundred percent ready to go.”

Byrne and Whitehouse feature on the Dublin bill alongside Eric Donovan, Jake Hanney, Sean Creagh, Stephen Carroll, Vladimir Belujsky, James Tennyson, Allan Phelan, Carl McDonald, and Lynn Harvey. There will also be debut dates for Keane McMahon, Liam Gaynor, John Joyce, and Regan Buckley on the stacked card in the capital.

Tickets for ‘Celtic Clash 2: The Rising’ are priced at €15 (Under 15s), €30, €40, €45, and €55 (Premium), and are available from the boxers involved.

Photo Credit: Laszlo Geczo Photography