Common Goal for Colm Murphy

Photo Credit: Mark Mead

Colm Murphy and Mark Dunlop have a common Commonwealth goal.

The exciting Belfast prospect hopes to become mandatory for the rainbow strap with victory in Belfast tomorrow night.

Having guided him to BUI Celtic and Irish title success before he even reached 10 fights, Mark Dunlop is looking to go the Commonwealth route with ‘The Posh Boy’.

The featherweight is more than happy to follow the path laid out and is ready for Julias Kisarawe and their Commonwealth featherweight eliminator at the Europa Hotel. Indeed, with long-reigning champion Nathaniel Collins looking set to step up to the next level, a shot at a vacant belt could come round sooner rather than later.

“I’ve been training away since before Christmas, so I’m more than ready for the opportunity Mark has got for me,” he said speaking to David Mohan for Belfast Media.

“Hopefully I get the win here and that will set me up for a big 2024 and pushes me on for the Commonwealth title down the line.

“It’s still early in the year and I’ll see what road Mark wants to take, but I’ve faith in him. He’s put me on the right path so far, so I’ll just keep the head down, do what he tells me to do and rise to the challenges he sets for me.”

There were rumours Murphy was considering a boxing sabbatical to complete his currently-paused Masters Degree but it appears he will continue to study the sweet science and says he hasn’t been away from the gym since the turn of the year.

Murphy, who was previously trained by Dee Walsh and is now working with Dan Boyle said: “This is the fittest I’ve been as a pro and I’m getting more physical. I’ve set myself a really good baseline and this has set me up for the longer rounds.

“I’ve been training like a spartan since before Christmas as I know how big a year this is. One mistake and that’s you five steps back and I can’t afford that.”