Mirth and Menace from Fury and Rogan
Hennessy Sports Press Release- written by David Kelly
Frankly, if the fight between Tyson Fury and Martin Rogan is anywhere near asĀ Ā entertaining as yesterdayās press conference then the fans are in for aĀ Ā Ā treat on April 14 at the Odyssey Arena.
In the comedic stakes it was round one to Rogan who did his best Frank CarsonĀ Ā impression but when they both took the mic for a singing duel the honoursĀ Ā Ā went to Fury.
All this after the serious business of both men declaring āserious damageāĀ Ā would be done next month.
Fury has signed to do stand-up for Sport Relief and gave us a quick cameo,Ā butĀ Ā quick-witted Rogan assured him that: āOn April 14 youāll not being doingĀ Ā Ā stand-up, youāll be doing sit-down. Thatās a cracker!ā
The heavyweight clash is set to be for the vacant Irish title with Fury,Ā Ā Ā finally, legally proving what he had said all along ā that he is a bonafideĀ Ā Ā Irishman.
āI didnāt get to box for Ireland at the last Olympics but now in 2012 IāmĀ Ā Ā fighting for the Irish title all being well and trust me, no man will beĀ Ā ableĀ to stop me on April 14 ā not even an army could stop me,ā said Fury.
āMartin Rogan has no chance. The young fella is going to take out the oldĀ Ā Ā fella. To you he may be Big Rogie but to me heās wee, cuddly Rogie.ā
The grudge clash ā which falls on the same night the Titanic sunk 100 yearsĀ Ā Ā ago ā is one that has Irish fight fans drooling at the prospect of fireworksĀ Ā Ā when the two big men come together and as promoter Mick Hennessy commented:Ā Ā āItās the biggest heavyweight fight to come here since Muhammad Ali boxed atĀ Ā Ā Croke Park.ā
For Rogan it is massive opportunity to re-ignite his career which has slowlyĀ Ā gone off the radar ever since back-to-back defeats at the hands of SamĀ Ā Ā Sexton.
Two wins followed under the guidance of Brian Peters but they had a partingĀ ofĀ Ā the ways and last yearās failed attempt to run his own shows left him castĀ Ā adrift.
āIām a lot wiser now,ā said Rogan. āItās a good opportunity for me to beĀ Ā Ā fighting Tyson Fury who is number six in the world ā itās not every day youĀ Ā Ā get that chance. And itās a good opportunity for Tyson Fury to get beaten byĀ Ā aĀ good hard Irishman.
āAt one stage when I beat Audley Harrison and Matt Skelton I should haveĀ Ā Ā fought for the World title but unfortunately it didn’t happen ā but my focusĀ Ā Ā is just on Tyson Fury
āIt doesnāt matter that I have been out of the ring for 18 months, itĀ wouldnātĀ Ā matter if I had been out for 20 years ā everybody knows that I comeĀ toĀ Ā fight. Itās a great for my city and my fans.ā
Fury, who recently vacated the British and Commonwealth belts when underĀ Ā Ā pressure to defend against David Price, says this fight with Rogan meansĀ Ā moreĀ to him than even a World title fight.
āThis fight means everything to me, this means more than fighting for theĀ Ā Ā undisputed World title, more than fighting the Klitschkos ā all I am focusedĀ Ā Ā on is Martin Rogan,ā added Fury.
āI have locked myself away and been to hell and back to get in great shapeĀ andĀ Ā by the time of the fight Iāll have been away from my family for 15 weeks.Ā IfĀ Ā I canāt beat Martin Rogan Iāve nowhere to go.
āIf I lose then Iāll have to make a living out of shining Martin RoganāsĀ Ā Ā shoes.ā
Tickets: £155, £105, £65, £44, £33 and £27.50 from Ticketmaster.ie,  0844 2774455.