Boxing Ireland Promotions confirm latest signing

Boxing Ireland Promotions have added to their growing stable with the signing of Julio Cesar [3(1)-4(3)].

The Angolan-born, Belfast-based super middleweight has inked a deal with the team behind the Celtic Clash series as he aims to make a late-stage charge through the ranks.

Having seen his record stained initially by a succession of away-corner outings, Cesar came into domestic attention in 2019 first with a win over Casey Blair before posting one of the upsets of recent times as he stopped Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Sean McGlinchey in five.

The win over Derry’s McGlinchey saw Cesar pick up the Celtic Nations belt at 168lbs but he has been unable to build on that since due to the pandemic. Now, with Celtic Clash shows on the horizon, the ambitious African has joined with Boxing Ireland and looks set for big domestic bouts.

Promoter Leonard Gunning explained how “we’ve had Julio on the last two Celtic Clashes in Belfast and I have been really impressed with his tenacity and ambition.”

“We’ve been discussing a route forward for his career over the last number of months and we think there is some really good fights out there for him. Julio has ambitions to go all the way to the top in his career and it is our job to find a route to get him as far as possible up that ladder to success.”

While McGlinchey announced his retirement after the stoppage loss to Cesar, Gunning hints that a rematch may be on the cards. Beyond that there are potential in-house clashes with the likes of Kevin Cronin and Jamie Morrissey among others.

The Boxing Ireland boss outlined how “there are a number of options for Julio at the moment, he can either go down the Irish title route, the Celtic title route, or the British title route to get to his goals.”

“There are plenty of fights out there for him including a potential rematch with Sean McGlinchey which I know both lads want. There are also plenty of lads on the scene in the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions that would make great matches for Julio as he tries to achieve his goals.”

“I look forward to working with him in the future and he will be appearing on the next Celtic Clash.”