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Barnes is Fighting Fit for Ireland’s Best Ever Card

Paddy Barnes is feeling good as he looks forward to, quote unquote, the greatest card Ireland has ever seen. The fighter came through a medical at the Belfast Kingsbridge Private Hospital last week as part of his ongoing preparations for his WBO European flyweight title defence. He has described this fight as the greatest card ever seen in Ireland, and it is set to take place on the 18th of November at the SSE Arena.

Barnes’ Title Won with an Inspiring Decision Win
Barnes managed to get his title thanks to a striking decision win back in June against Silvio Olteanu, and took his record to a remarkable 4 – 0 with yet another distance win. The last was over Juan Hinostroza in a fight which took place in Edinburgh earlier on in October.

The Medical an Important Part of the Pre-Fight Process
Barnes, fondly known as The Leprechaun, stated after the medical that his training was going well and he was looking forward to the fight. He added that if a boxer doesn’t pass the medical no fight could happen, so this was an important part of his preparations.

Punters who will be taking part in the upcoming fight thanks to the best bets NZ has to offer them are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief that Barnes is confirmed for the fight.

No Confirmation on His Opponent
Speculation has been rife that Barnes may well be taken on Aramis Torres, from Spain, an unbeaten fighter, at the November 18 fight, but Barnes could not confirm exactly who his opponent would as late as yesterday.

Carl Frampton’s Return to the Ring is Headlined
November’s fight night will be headlined by the Carl Frampton returning to the ring. The show will also feature two World title fights:
1. Zolani Tete’s WBO bantamweight bout against South Africa’s Exhibition Gonya
2. Jamie Conlan’s strike for the IBF super-flyweight belt that is currently in the keeping of Jerwin Ancajas

Barnes Seated Ringside Last Month
Barnes was seated at the ringside last month, watching Ryan Burnett unifying the world bantamweight titles with a well-deserved, hard-earned win over Zhanat Zhakiyanov. He stated that the fight gave for a great night out, and that he really enjoyed watching the winner being revealed. Barnes then added that next month’s fight was going to be an excellent bill, saying that he didn’t think that there had ever been two world title fights on the same show in Ireland before this. Barnes went on to say that it was a good thing to see Jamie Conlan out, that he was a boy from Belfast, and that Tete, who could be fought by Ryan Burnett, was also a part of the fun. He then said that he would then be defending his title against Frampton, all of which went towards making it the best night in fighting history in Ireland.

The Golden Age of Boxing in Ireland
Barnes is an essential part of the Golden Age of Irish Boxing. The fighter has two Olympic medals to his name, and the successes of the Conlan brothers, Frampton, and Burnett has fuelled the so-called boom-time in Boxing.

Barnes ended off by stating that it was great to be a pro during this time, in both Belfast and Ireland as a whole, thanks to the boom that was being experienced, and that he felt very lucky to be a part of it.

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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