‘You’ll hear about him very soon’: Quigley believes Irish boxing has a crossover star in Hedderman
Jason Quigley believes Kian Hedderman is a name that will soon be impossible to ignore.
The former world middleweight title challenger is hugely excited by the potential of the unbeaten Limerick light-heavyweight, insisting the 23-year-old has all the attributes to make a serious impact in the professional ranks.
“I’m really looking forward to the future for him and I think he’s a bright, bright prospect coming out of Ireland and people should get behind him,” said Quigley, who manages Hedderman.
“If they haven’t heard of him, you’ll hear about him very soon.”
The 35-year-old Donegal man has little doubt about the ceiling Hedderman can reach, pointing to his discipline, dedication and work ethic as reasons to believe he can go a long way in the sport.
“There’s a lot of fighters as disciplined, dedicated and hard-working as him, but for me, Kian’s ceiling is very, very high and that’s what excites me about him,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hedderman believes going the distance for the first time was the ideal prep for what looks like a Donegal step up this weekend.
‘Mean’ heard the final bell for the first time since turning over when durable panto villain Marcos Nicolas Karalitzky in Dublin less than a month ago.
Rather than be upset with losing his 100 percent KO record, the Limerick native saw it as a positive, particularly when looking through the lens of his Rumbler in the Hills 3 clash this weekend.
The Treaty County man moves to six rounds on the Sheer Sports card this Saturday and believes banking rounds will pay dividends when he faces Nikodem Schwarz, a Slovak with two knockouts from two pro wins.
“It’s exactly what I needed, if I’m being honest,” he told Irish-boxing.com.
“It was a perfect warm-up for a six-rounder. You want to keep building and building because one day you’re going to be in the tens and the twelves, so this is exactly what I needed in this early stage of my career.”
Hedderman took no time off after the September win, meaning back to back camps.
“I was back in the gym the Monday morning after my fight,” he said. “I took Sunday to rest and then I was back at it. Thank God I had no cuts, bruises or whatever.”
Hedderman’s latest performance also offered an opportunity to test himself against more experienced opposition, a survival specialist who almost rejoices in being akward and stubborn.
The Argentinian’s aggressive approach presented Hedderman with something to figure out for the first time in a pro ring. He was able to do just that, settle into the fight and score a comfortable win.
“Having to regroup and get back on my jab is what I need to do to win the fight,” he explained.
“Just probably just having to control the fight myself, when sometimes it wasn’t going my way,” he said, reflecting on the lessons he could take into this weekend.
