Not a Power Play – McCrory not relying on heavy hands to make light work of Bunn

This can’t be just a power play, admits Padraig McCrory [14(8)-0].

One of the biggest punchers in Irish boxing doesn’t believe he can rely solely on his heavy hands to make light work of Leon Bunn [18(9)-0] in Germany this weekend.

‘The Hammer’ fights the German for the vacant IBO light heavyweight title at the Fabriksporthalle in Frankfurt, live on TG4 tonight.

The 34-year-old goes into the fight on the back of four extremely impressive stoppage wins, knocking down step-up opponents to earn a career-changing shot.

The Dee Walsh fighter is confident he will bring that game-changing power with him as he moves up the scales to light heavyweight from super middle but knows he can’t rely on it to secure him the title.

He has that typical German style,” said McCrory when speaking to the Irish News.

“He comes out of the same gym as Arthur Abraham and they fight fairly similarly. He will have the physical size advantage but I’m taller and I think I’ll punch a bit better with him. He’s not the biggest light-heavyweight but he is strong.

“We’ve worked on a few different plans and boxing on the backfoot and letting him walk on to punches is one of them. I think there’ll be different scenarios through the fight when he’s on the front foot or I am so we’ve planned for everything.

“He’s a tough boy, there’s no sign of him ever being hurt or in trouble so I can’t be banking on my power but hopefully we’ve come up with plans for ever scenario that’s going to happen.”

The Conlan Boxing fighter has worked his way from the small hall scene to the big stage and is now deemed one of Ireland’s brightest talents.

His humble nature often is often mistaken for a happy-to-be-here approach, where really the Belfast fighter knows he deserves this big moment opportunity.

“When I got called about this opportunity I wasn’t surprised, I wasn’t shocked, it wasn’t something I didn’t expect,” he said.

“This is definitely a fight I can win.”

“I’ve put in the hard yards and I’ve worked my way up the ladder and now I’m on the verge of winning a major title.

“I believe that the missed opportunities and the injuries that have come along all happened for a reason. I believe this is where I’m meant to be now and I’m ready to take this opportunity and I don’t see this as the end goal.

“I can see myself going further and being involved in bigger fights. This isn’t my end goal but it’s a massive opportunity on a big stage and I’m really looking forward to it.”