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Stephen Webb calls for all-Irish domestic clash in just his SECOND FIGHT


Stephen Webb [1(0)-0] claims he is ready to jump in the ring with BUI Celtic light welterweight champion Victor Rabei or even the man he believes beat the Dub in that title fight, Karl Kelly.

The Belfast fighter is only one fight into his pro career having debuted successfully on the ‘King of Celts’ card earlier this month with a points win over ultradurable Slovak Rudolf Durica..

However, the southpaw believes he is already ready for the likes of Rabei [6(2)-0], Kelly [2(0)-2(0)], or Martin Quinn [2(1)-1(0)].

Indeed, Webb claims, given eight weeks notice, he would challenge any of the three when he returns to the ring for his second paid bout.

Kelly and Quinn look odds-on to rematch for the BUI Celtic lightweight title on ‘Celtic Clash 8’ following their controversial meeting last month but Rabei, whose last win was a first round stoppage live on TG4, may be looking for a juicy TV opponent for his proposed March return.

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“What do I want next? I would love to stay active and potentially have a domestic dust-up with Rabei or Kelly next,” Webb told Irish-boxing.com. 

“I was there to watch the [Rabei and Kelly] fight and personally think Karl beat Victor that night,” revealed ‘Spider’ Webb.

“Don’t get me wrong, Victor is a great boxer and I respect him as a fighter but even this early on I don’t think him, Karl Kelly or even Martin Quinn has what it takes to beat me.”

“There are great domestic fights out there if these guys want to take the risk,” he added before stating how soon he would be willing to take on an Irish rival.

“Anytime in the next eight weeks. I’d be in tip-top shape for any of these guys in eight weeks, hopefully something can happen soon.”

Webb has been vocal about his willingness to step up for nigh on a year now, but only managed to debut this month.

Having seen three potential debut clashes fall through on late notice, the Holy Trinity graduate finally got the chance to show off his skills at the Titanic Exhibition Centre.

He outpointed Durica on a card topped by Conrad Cummings and was delighted to finally punch for pay,

“It finally happened,” he laughs.

“It was a great feeling. The atmosphere was unreal. Best feeling I’ve had in terms of boxing.”

With so many fights falling through, there was always the chance Webb may get distracted by the possibility of more misfortune as the fight drew close, especially after Alec Bazza pulled out, but he claims his team ensured that wasn’t the case.

“I had an amazing time behind me who kept me focused on the fight. Although, two days before the fight my original opponent pulled out so I started to think ‘ahh, not another one,’ but then I got a late replacement, thank God,” he said before reflecting on his display. 

“After the fight, I wasn’t happy with my performance because I thought I could have handled him a lot better but he was really awkward and has only been stopped once in 29 fights so he was durable.”

“Then, when I watched the fight back, the next day i didn’t get hit once and won every round with ease.”

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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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