Drink It In – ‘Fine Wine’ Padraig McCrory Can Upset Bunn
The prospect of becoming IBO light heavyweight champion of the world has pushed ‘Fine Wine’ Padraig McCrory [14(8)-0] to the top shelf, says a ‘very, very confident’ Jamie Conlan.
McCrory takes on German Leon Bunn [18(9)-0] for the vacant strap at the Fabriksporthalle in Frankfurt on Saturday night.
It’s a trip up the scales, into Bunn’s hometown, and into the spotlight for the popular ‘working class hero’ but a challenge the 34-year-old is more than taking in his stride suggests his manager.
Motivated by the chance to change his life ‘The Hammer’ is shown career-best form in the gym according to the former world title challenger and is ready to bring that to the ring on Saturday night.
“Camp was brilliant. Poddy is an incredible success story in Irish boxing, he is stronger than ever before. You can compare him to a good bottle of wine, he’s getting better with age. He’s stronger, he’s found himself as a fighter and as a person,” Conlan said at the final press conference.
“I think this challenge will bring out the best in Pody McCrory,” he said when speaking Boxing Tickets NI.
“I went to watch him spar 12 rounds and it’s the best Pody McCrory I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen Poddy fight since I was boxing as an amateur. He looks like a young fresh hungry Poddy McCrory and this is a dangerous, dangerous night for Leon Bunn.”
The bookies see it as a 50-50 pick’em but Conlan believes the fact the fight is not at McCrory’s weight and is away from home means his man is an underdog.
That said, the Conlan Boxing boss is expecting an upset .
“I wouldn’t have accepted the fight if I didn’t think Poddy would win. I think it’s an opportunity. I do think we are the underdogs going in because of the weight and the location. But he is nothing that Poddy hasn’t seen before in terms of technical ability or size. He’s used to weighing heavier but I don’t think he is a bigger guy than Poddy.”
“There are elements of the fight that Bunn is probably favourite in. He’s got good hand speed and good footwork, I don’t think he is as heavy-handed as Poddy McCrory though, even though he is the light heavyweight. It’s about overcoming the small hurdles in this fight.”
“I’m very very excited and very very confident.”
The older brother and manager of Irish star Mick Conlan also points out the St James’s fighter has no issue with stepping up and has recently proved himself an underdog with sharp teeth, eluding to his stoppage wins over Mickey Ellison, Sergei Gorokhov, Celso Neves and Marco Antonio Periban.
“In my eyes, Poddy has been the underdog in his last four fights, he’s been matched evenly but there is a case for him to be the underdog in all those fights. I’ve been selective in a way and not selective in a way at the same time. Because of his age, and how he speaks, and how confident he is, you think ‘okay, let’s go’. I’ve always said if I was managing fighters I’d want 10 Poddy McCrorys because he gives you 100 percent, he’s honest with you.”
