Old Friends, New Foes – Paul Ryan Full of Respect
Familiarity hasn’t bred contempt, although that won’t stop Paul Ryan from trying to inflict pain on old friend Edward Donovan.
The former Irish teammates and regular sparring partners meet in a high-stakes clash of European underage medal winners on top of JB Promotions’ New Dawn card at the National Stadium on October 10.
The meeting of two underage youth standouts with a real need for a win instantly caught fight fans’ attention, but the Dublin side of the fight has revealed a subplot that will add interest to the headliner.
‘Ravishing’ and ‘The Dominator’ – younger brother to September 13 world title challenger Paddy Donovan – are close. Both men came through the Irish amateur system, travelling to tournaments, wearing the same colours, and building their reputations side by side. Indeed the bond goes back to when they were barely teenagers.
“I know Edward well. I know his brother Paddy, and I know their father Martin,” Ryan told Irish-Boxing.com.
“We were on the same squads from when we were 12 or 13 years old. We grew up together in boxing. They’re from good stock — good fighting men — and they’ve got a load of Irish amateur titles between them.”
That familiarity is one of the reasons Ryan didn’t hesitate when new promoter Jay Byrne mentioned Donovan’s name.
“Jay mentioned it to me on Thursday, and I said ‘yeah, absolutely.’ He got on to Edward, and Edward gave the same answer. That’s the sign of a fighter — you don’t need weeks to think about it when it’s a proper fight.”
Munster’s Donovan, like the Blanch native, is coming off a loss – he suffered BUI Celtic title defeat to Craig O’Brein. The Limerick southpaw could have taken a softer route back, but instead opted for another dangerous assignment.
“Credit to him for taking it,” Ryan said. “He’s in the same boat as me. He could have got some journeyman in, but he wanted a real fight. He’s a man after my own heart — we’re here to have a knock and give the fans their money’s worth.”
