Top Irish Boxers Right Now
Top Irish Boxers Right Now
Ireland has produced great boxers and there are some who’ve been doing great in recent years. Let’s take a look at some of the top Irish boxers right now.
- Michael Conlan
Michael Conlan is poised to be boxing’s next great draw. Conlan won an Olympic bronze medal at London 2012, a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2014 in Glasgow, an European Amateur Championships gold medal at Samokov 2015 and a World Amateur Championships gold medal at Doha 2015 and he recently won his third professional fight by stoppage on the Pacquiao-Horn undercard.
Conlan beat Jarrett Owen after referee Tony Kettlewell stopped the fight at 1:56 of the third round and he’s looking to return to the ring in September.
UFC star Conor McGregor is a close friend of Conlan, he even sat ringside in Conlan’s debut against Tim Ibarra at Madison Square Garden and Conlan’s example could motivate him on his way to his August 26fight against Floyd Mayweather.
Looking to wager, make sure you review BetOnline before you put money on Mayweather-McGregor or on Conlan’s next fight, which could take place against an opponent to be determined on Septemeber 22 in Tuscan, Arizona.
- Paddy Barnes
Paddy Barnes recently claimed his first pro title after a majority decision victory over Silvio Olteanu at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. Barnes, a two-time Olympic medalist, won the WBO European flyweight belt, which can be considered a stepping-stone title, as it also comes with a top-15 world ranking with the WBO, meaning that his hopes of earning a shot at a world title are intact. Barnes’ goal is to “become a multi-weight world champion,” and it will be interesting to see who steps up against him next.
- Carl Frampton
Carl Frampton’s fight with Andrés Gutiérrez on July 29 in Belfast was called off with less than 24 hours’ notice after the Mexican fell in the shower.
According to Barry McGuigan, the fight’s promoter, Gutiérrez “slipped in the shower, smashed his face.” He added that the Mexican boxer was concussed and that he had a deep gash on his chin, his nose and lost two of his teeth.
The 30-year-old Frampton was once a world champion at featherweight and super-bantamweight and he was looking forward to fighting in his home city for what might have been the last time.
Carl Frampton is coming off a six-month lay-off after his first professional defeat against Mexican Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas. Frampton hopes to face Santa Cruz for the third time or challenge Wales’s IBF champion, Lee Selby. According to his trainer Shane McGuigan, the finish line is near for Frampton despite having only 24 professional fights.
- Gary O’Sullivan
Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan, also known as the fighting pride of Cork, Ireland, is a former WBO International and Irish middleweight champion. O’Sullivan moved up the ranks at a rapid rate but he suffered a perforated eardrum in his world title eliminator with Chris Eubank Jr. at the O2 Arena in London in December, 2015 and he’s had just three fights since, although he won all of them.
The 33-year-old is 25-2 (17 KOs) and he recently said he wants to fight Billy Joe Saunders, Martin Murray or Miguel Cotto before the end of the year.
- Andy Lee
The 32-year-old Andy Lee, who held the WBO middleweight title from 2014 to 2015 and the Irish super middleweight title in 2007, beat KeAndrae Leatherwood in an eight-round unanimous points victory at Madison Square Garden’s main arena on March 18. It was Lee’s first fight since losing the WBO middleweight title to Billy Joe Saunders on December 19, 2015 and now he’s 35-3-1.
Lee is currently taking another break because of the birth of his first child in June but he expects to be back in the ring again, as long as the level of competition is high. “I’ll wait and see who’s on offer. I’m number five in the world so I’ll be hoping to fight one of the champions,” said Lee when asked about his future. “If my next fight isn’t a big fight or a meaningful fight, then I won’t fight again,” he added.
