Crank Whitehouse is “ready now for the Irish title”
Crank Whitehouse [5(1)-0] saw a proposed all-Irish match-up for next weekend fall through, but the Balbriggan boxer is committed to taking on an Irish rival for the green belt soon
It had been hoped that Whitehouse would face fellow Dubliner Jay Byrne [4(2)-2(0)] over eight rounds on the bill, but the fight could not be made – although both boxers have repeatedly stated that they’re willing to meet in the near future.
On Saturday May 27th, at the National Stadium on the Celtic Clash 2 card, Whitehouse will therefore face a continental opponent, who is still to be officially named, but he wants to fight someone closer to home next.
Whitehouse explained to Irish-Boxing.com that “this was meant to be for a title, but things didn’t go to plan. There was a fight meant to be set, you probably all know about that, but for whatever reason the fight hasn’t come off.”
“I think I’m ready now for the Irish title. I’m looking at all the welterweights in Ireland and I think that, if I perform to the best of my ability, I’m up there with any of them, if not ahead of them.”
“I can see it in myself, I can see it in the gym, in my spars, I’m ready to go.”
“Going in with some fellas, they’re just there to make you look bad, and you wont really look outstanding until you’re in there with a guy who’s coming to win and looking to knock you out. Hopefully this fella comes on the 27th of May and he’s game and he wants to fight.”
The Bracken boxer, a European Schoolboys bronze medalist, is still only 21 years old, however he believes he has an experience and maturity beyond his years.
Whitehouse outlined how “since I’ve been a kid, 16 or 17, I’ve been boxing men and beating them, winning major titles. Going back on my amateur career, I’ve fought at a high level for a very long time.
A pro almost three years now, Whitehouse has certainly had experience of the frustrating side of boxing. Between injuries and fights falling through, he has been restricted to just five pro contests. His most recent disappointment came last month with a scrapped fight date on the cancelled ‘Táimid Laochra’ bill.
Whitehouse is planning to use this disappointment to his advantage and he Tony Davitt-managed fighter described how “it was very frustrating for me, when you set yourself in that mood, fight mood. Then, on the Monday of fight week, the fight gets called off, there’s no worse feeling.”
“But with the long training camp, a lot of training has been put into this fight, so I’m looking forward to a good performance.
The card next week is headlined by Eric Donovan, with further support from Mike Perez, Jay Byrne, Stephen Carroll, Sean Creagh, Vladimir Belujsky, Rohan Date, Carl McDonald, Allan Phelan, and Lynn Harvey, as well as debutants Liam Gaynor, John Joyce, Regan Buckley, John Corcoran, Stephen McAfee, and Keane McMahon.
Tickets for Celtic Clash 2 are priced at €15 (Under 15s), €30, €40, €45, and €55 (Premium), and are available from the boxers involved.
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Joe O’Neill and Gavan Casey speak to Jason Quigley on Episode 5 of The Irish Boxing Show:
