Ruadhan Farrell: ‘I Might Be Champ But The Pressure is On Bam Bam’
Ruadhan Farrell may enter Saturday’s all-Irish showdown as champion, but he insists the pressure is all on his opponent, Matthew Boreland.
The Belfast fighter takes centre stage domestically on another huge night for Irish boxing, with his latest all Irish dust-up set for the undercard of Paddy Donovan and Lewis Crocker’s world title clash in Windsor Park on Saturday.
It’s the biggest stage El Niño has fought on, although he is confident the experience of four title fights and his exposure to high-profile cards will ensure he thrives under the lights.
He wonders if it will be the same for ‘Bam Bam,’ suggesting his first exposure to the big time may affect him negatively.
Indeed, despite being the defending champion with an Irish title to lose, the domestic success story argues that all the bells and whistles that come with the size of the card put pressure on the challenger.
“It’s my sixth Irish domestic dust-up and my third Matchroom show,” Farrell explained when speaking to Irish-boxing.com.
“Experience will help, and there’s no pressure on me at all. I might be the champion, but all the pressure is on Marty.”
Farrell, who described Boreland as a “good lad and great fighter,” is backing his own pedigree in the kind of fiery rivalries that Irish fans have come to love.
“I just see myself win, win, win,” he said when asked how he expects the fight to play out.
The Belfast entertainer has been a key figure in Irish boxing’s bustling domestic scene, thriving in 50/50 fights that have often delivered drama and entertainment.
The IGB boxer’s wins over Ger Hughes and Connor Kerr massively increased the standing of the fighter with five false starts to his name. However, it was his sole career defeat that stands out. Farrell feels his courage in agreeing to a fight with now multi belt champ Colm Murphy and his display against Posh Boy opened the door to career-changing opportunities.
“I always ask myself where would I be if I didn’t take that fight — it stood by me,” he recalled.
The BUI Celtic and Irish title winner found himself rematching both Kerr and Hughes. He doesn’t see there being calls for a return after Saturday’s bout but does suggest if there was to be a repeat it could top a bill of its own.
“If it does it will be massive — we could maybe sell out a football pitch ourselves, just gotta wait and see,” he smiled.
