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‘Next Stop: America’ for victorious Luke Keeler


Luke Keeler has told Eddie Hearn that he is ready to help him bring entertainment to the promoter’s Matchroom USA shows and wants the likes of Gabriel Rosado.

The Dublin middleweight was offered the chance to fight the the known American name on the undercard of Jono Carroll’s bid to dethrone IBF super featherweight world champion Tevin Farmer in Philadelphia on St Patrick’s Weekend.

Keeler [16(5)-2(1)-1] knocked back the Matchroom offer as he felt the timing wasn’t ideal as he was just back from injury.

Instead he rematched with Conrad Cummings on the top of an Ulster Hall show two weeks later impressed in regaining the WBO European ranking belt.

Now having twice dealt with the Tyrone native and set to enter the WBO Top 10, the Irish middleweight champion is keen to move to the next level.

“I am not going to take time out. My hands feel great. I have no cuts this time. I want to take a week off get back in the gym and keep improving. I love training with Pete [Taylor] he is improving me. It’s a joy to go back and work on that,” Keeler said after the win before stressing he would like to explore American options.

“Anything can happen. Hearn has to fill the cards in America. He’s bringing English fighters over and the Irish because we have a following. So touch wood we can get a shot over there. The likes of Rosado would be great.”

Hearn currently promotes WBO champ Demetrius Andrade and IBF titlist Danny Jacobs and is making in-roads in America via the DAZN over-the-top streaming platform who also have deals with Golden Boy, the promoters of WBA and WBC champ Canelo Alvarez, and former unified champion Gennady Golovkin.

The lucrative DAZN deal has heralded big opportunities for a number of fighters from Ireland and the UK such as Carroll, James Tennyson, and Rocky Fielding.

Hearn has had a soft spot for Keeler since he witnessed him stop Gary Boulden in Dublin back in 2014 – and ‘Cool Hand’ reveals it was promoter himself that was actively trying to get Keeler to America for the Philly card.

The Ballyfermot boxer explained how “Eddie is the one that asked for the Rosado fight so I am sure I am in his thoughts and I am sure that looked good tonight and maybe he seen it.”

Rosado, who has fought them all at light middle and middle, was dropped and outpointed by Maciej Sulecki on that March 15th night but Keeler claims he doesn’t look at not taking the fight as an opportunity missed – especially considering Rosado’s strong finish and still-strong profile.

“No, I was only six weeks back, I was heavy and coming back from a back injury. I felt so good a couple of weeks ago that I was thinking maybe I could have taken it but, no, it wasn’t the right time.”

Now, however, is the right time for the popular 31-year-old and it looks like next stop America.

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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