Wexford heavyweight Niall Kennedy to face Mexican next month
An opponent has been confirmed for Niall Kennedy‘s next fight.
The Wexford heavyweight returns to the ring on Saturday June 23rd at the Bank of America Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire, topping a Murphys Boxing show.
Kennedy [11(7)-0] will face Mexican Christian Mariscal [9(4)-1(0)] over eight rounds on the card.
Since debuting in August 2016, Mariscal has fought exclusively in his home city of Tijuana mainly versus journeyman opposition. The 38-year-old’s sole loss came in a step up versus the then-undefeated Marco Vazquez.
A fight with former UFC star Fabio Maldonado [25(24)-0] for the WBA-NABA rankings title had been mooted but this has seemingly fallen through.
Gorey Garda Kennedy, who turned 34 last week, is on a hot streak at present. Following two big wins over Jesse Barboza and Alexis Santos in 2017, he followed this up with early stoppages of Danny Calhoun and, in February just gone, Aaron Chavers.
While he may not be receiving it in this coming bout, ‘Boom Boom Baz’ has been chasing a step-up in recent times and accepted a clash with former world title challenger Artur Szpilka last month in New York but the Pole would pull out.
Kennedy’s Celtic Warriors gym-mate Ray Moylette [9(3)-0] is also slated to appear on the bill – assuming a fight date in Ipswich this Friday goes to plan – and a step up to State title level is planned.
Then there is also a scheduled appearance for Luis Garcia [15(12)-0]. The Cuban, formerly based in Cork was a rising light heavyweight in the 2000s but suffered a long lay-off due to promotional problems. He returned in late 2015 at cruiserweight but has only fought twice more since – with all three bouts ending in first round knockouts.
The bill next month will be co-headlined by light middleweight contender Mark DeLuca, while there are also appearances for Carlos Gongora, and Amanda Pavone.
