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ANOTHER Belfast pro boxing show confirmed for May


Belfast will play host to a whopping THREE shows next month.

On Friday May 17th the #MTKFightNight series continues at the Ulster Hall before the MHD Promotions ‘Summer Brawl’ show at the Europa Hotel on Saturday May 18th.

Now another card has been confirmed to send fight fans off into the summer in style.

‘Celtic Clash 8‘ will take place on Saturday May 25th at The Devenish Complex in West Belfast and the Boxing Ireland Promotions and Prospect Boxing bill will feature eleven contests.

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Topping the bill will be Divis lightweight and centrepiece of Boxing Ireland’s Ulster stable, Joe Fitzpatrick [8(5)-0], and he will take on St James’s Stephen Webb [1(0)-0] in the bill topper.

The pair had been due to box over six rounds on the ‘A Night To Remember’ card at the Ulster Hall back in February but, following a fractious build-up, this match-up fell through. Now with Boxing Ireland, Fitzpatrick gets his chance on May 25th.

The undercard features a mix of returning faces, debutants, and building prospects.

Making his return after over a year out of the ring, New Lodge super featherweight Ciaran McVarnock [9(3)-0-1] will be looking to kick-start his pro career while super featherweight Mathew Fitzsimons [4(2)-1(1)] is seeking to position himself for a domestic title shot also. Then there is Antrim Town cruiserweight Conor Cooke [2-0, 1 KO] and Larne featherweight Kelvin McDonald [1-0] who will be looking to continue their development.

A quartet of professional debuts will also feature on the bill – Cavan light middleweight Dominic Donegan, Lurgan super featherweight Jamie Douglas, Poleglass welterweight Owen O’Neill, and Westie light middleweight Conor Doherty – and the Ulster newcomers will all be hoping to catch the eye early on.

Rounding out the card will be Derry middleweight Sean McGlinchey [2(0)-1(0)] and Dublin light welter Jake Hanney [5(4)-2(1)], both of whom are looking to bounce back from domestic defeats last time out.

It’s a return to Belfast for the ‘Celtic Clash’ series after over five years away, with the inaugural bill having taken place at the Devenish way back in 2013. Here, Sligo slugger Stephen Reynolds knocked out Warrenpoint’s Declan Trainor to win the Celtic cruiserweight title in what is, to this day, remembered as one of the great modern Irish fights.

The series was revived in 2017 and helped rejuvenate boxing in Dublin, with an unprecedented number of shows in a short space of time.

With Boxing Ireland bosses bringing on board respected Belfast fight figure Dennis Morrison last year as Head of Northern Operations, a return seemed inevitable. A toe was dipped on Alio Wilton’s ‘Back in Belfast’ card last November and ‘Celtic Clash 8’ was confirmed for the city last month.

Now we have a date, a venue, a full undercard, and a grudge match to headline as Boxing Ireland look to round off a brilliant month of boxing in the sport’s Irish capital.

Tickets for the night cost £30 (Unreserved) or £45 (Ringside) and are available from all the boxers involved or online at Universe.com

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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