Prospects Donovan and O’Leary win in Glasgow

Two young Irish prospects doubled their pro win tallies in Glasgow tonight [Saturday].

Both Paddy Donovan and Pierce O’Leary followed up their October Ulster Hall debuts with victories on the #MTKFigthNight in Scotland.

Limerick’s Donovan stepped up to six rounds in just his second fight and scored 60-53 win over durable Nicaraguan fighter, Danny Mendoza at the Emirates Arena.

While Dublin’s O’Leary was awarded a shut out points win over survival specialists Chris Adaway after four rounds of action on the same card.

20-year-old Donovan opened round 1 patiently with his rangy jab before offloading menacing body shots and stiff uppercuts forcing his opponent to cover up and retreat.

Shortly into the second round Donovan caught Mendoza with a sharp left hand causing his opponent to take a standing count from the referee. The Irishman continued the round picking his punches consistently and looking sharp.

Through rounds 3 and 4 ‘Th Real Deal’ showcased his boxing skills and clever footwork to control the pace of the fight.

In round 5, the Top Rank Irish fighter was offensive scoring solid combinations and also using his ring craft to outwit Mendoza and in the final stanza the gifted skills advocate launched a series of controlled attacks with accuracy going to the body and head of Mendoza.

At ringside Donovan commented, “I enjoyed the fight, I rarely got hit. My opponent was tough and took some good punches from me. It was good to get 6 rounds of boxing under my belt. I was very happy with performance.”

Andy Lee former World WBO Middleweight Champion, Donovan’s trainer was please with his young fighter’s performance “Paddy boxed really well, he was patient and measured in there. It is all experience and this will stand by him as we go forward.”

St Patrick’s Day in March 2020 at Madison Square Garden, New York on the undercard of Irish Featherweight Kingpin Michael Conlan has been pencilled in as Donovan’s next outing.

O’Leary hopes to be out sooner than March, eyeing up a December return after his points win.

The Inner City Dub was again the aggressor as he returned to the ring, but displayed controlled aggression and he attempted to pin down the wiley Adaway.

The English fighter took the teen the distance, but a fighter who looks determined to prove he is an much about brains as the ‘big bang’, was content with the rounds.