Luke Keeler and Darren Cruise place bet on upcoming Irish title fight

There will be an added edge to the Irish middleweight title fight between Luke Keeler and Darren Cruise.

It was confirmed this afternoon that the two will do battle for the 160lbs green belt on Saturday June 24th at the National Stadium in Dublin.

The bout will headline the Red Corner Promotions ‘For Honour & Pride’ card at the home of Irish boxing, and the two title hopefuls have added another intriguing element to the clash which has been almost three years in the making.

Red Corner have today confirmed to Irish-Boxing.com that Castlerea’s Cruise [7(1)-5(0)] and Ballyfermot’s Keeler [12(5)-2(1) have agreed to an undisclosed side bet, with both putting up a portion of their purse and the winner on June 24th taking home the pot.

While the fight was still under negotiation, both fighters agreed to bet their entire purses in a winner-takes-all match-up, a proposal initially offered by European #14 Keeler.

However, Keeler’s manager Paschal Collins and Cruise’s manager Mark Dunlop, both looking out for their fighter’s best interests, have held their men back from this all-or-nothing scenario.

Nevertheless, there will still be a healthy wedge up for grabs this Summer, in addition to the obvious national pride and career enhancement.

Ticket details and further fighter announcements are expected in the near future for the card in just over 11 weeks time.

Photo Credit:
Luke Keeler – Laszlo Geczo Photography
Darren Cruise – The Fighting Irish