The map had been laid out; Bernard Dunne would fight Eduardo Garcia before confirming a major title fight for Spring 2009.
However, approaching the eleventh hour Garcia pulled out citing injury, leaving Dunne a week and a half to focus on a new opponent – Cristian Faccio of Uruguay, 16-3 (11KO). This of course is not the first time the Dubliner has been forced to rip up a well rehearsed script.
Rewind back to August 2007 and the unbeaten stylist was packing the Point Depot for another EBU title defence. It was taken as Gospel that a world title shot would be a formality. A crushing KO1 defeat at the hands of Kiko Martinez followed, throwing a major spanner in to the works.
A rematch with Martinez seemed likely, but when the Spaniard lost his title in his first title defence to Rendall Munroe, the Irishman’s focus was again shifted.
Major money was offered to bring Munroe to Dublin, an offer that was turned down. With the thought of over a year waiting to be confirmed as mandatory, team Dunne set about securing a World Title shot.
The route to this, they believed, was a clash with the world ranked Garcia. Given the news that the Mexican would not then be in Castlebar it is understandable that Dunne is somewhat frustrated.
“I wouldn’t say its disappointing…. awkward more than anything else,” he told irish-boxing.com.
“I thought the Garcia fight was the perfect fight to make a statement with. But there’s nothing can be done about it now and the show must go on to keep progressing. The thing is to not get distracted. Obviously we are very close to some sort of title shot next year. But focus has been drilled in to me ahead of this fight.”
The difficulty at this point for Dunne is that having studied Garcia at length to take advantage of perceived weaknesses, he knows little of 25-year-old Uruguayan Faccio, excluding the bare statistics that include an unsuccessful challenge for Wayne McCullough’s old WBC bantamweight strap.
“He is well respected and rated, but we haven’t seen him yet so I can’t make any judgements on him. Obviously I was preparing for one type of fighter – he was 5’5” 1/2. This guy is much the same so it’s good that he’s not 5’8” or 5’0”.
“Garcia was the name, face and style we were focussing on, but now we have just got to move forward.”
If he still has much to learn about his opponent, he is entirely familiar with the venue where the clash will take place.
“The venue (Breaffy House) is fantastic. The people really looked after us when I fought there earlier this year (PTS10 Felix Machado). Our support travelled and the locals turned out in force as well so I’m happy to be fighting there again.”
After November 15, what’s next remains to be seen, but despite Munroe signing up for a December 18 Dublin date against Fabrizio Trotta, Dunne believes a clash with the Englishman is as far off as ever.
“As regards the Munroe fight, I don’t think it will happen. I thought it was a sure thing that it would have happened and that they would have jumped at the type of money Brian Peters offered to come over here. But there is no point in dwelling on it.
“Rendall is a hell of a fighter and I wouldn’t disrespect him. I think myself and Rendall wanted to fight each other but he’d be close to a world title fight himself, and fighting me maybe wouldn’t do him any good.
“You’d have to really back him to come through his fight in Dublin against the Italian lad.
