Shaun Kelly Believes Last-Minute Change Cost Dave Ryan the Win
Shaun Kelly believes ‘real fighter’ Dave Ryan was denied a massive upset win by a last-minute change to proceedings on Saturday.
Ryan took on undefeated Queensberry prospect Khaleel Majid on the undercard of the Bradley Rea – Lyndon Arthur bill at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester – and came close to a career-changing victory.
The IGB man pushed Majid all the way, suffering a close 77-76 defeat when the fight went to the cards after eight rounds.
If, as originally agreed, the bout had played out over 10 rounds, Kelly is adamant ‘The Machine’ would be celebrating a win as well as a good performance.
The clash, which took place after the main event, was reduced by two rounds for TV reasons less than 30 minutes before the first bell.
The Treaty BC boss says claims while that didn’t have a negative impact on the Shannon man’s performance, it did hamper his abilty to win, claiming they had trained for a big finish.
Speaking online he said: “We went to Manchester early this week for David Ryan to take on the undefeated Khaleel Majid in a 10-round contest in his own backyard.
“We went as a massive underdog, and with 20 minutes to go until the first bell, we were informed the contest had been dropped to 8 rounds to accommodate TV.
“Although we prepared to really come on strong in the latter rounds, it didn’t affect Dave’s professionalism, and he went out and fought his heart out in every round, eventually losing by the narrowest margin of one point in a 77-76 contest, which could have gone either way.
“I firmly believe that with the original 10 rounds, our game plan would have got us over the line and gotten the win. Great experience cornering against the legendary Buddy McGirt also. And a big thanks to Mike Jackson for containing the cut Dave received in round one for the duration of the fight. No doubt Dave will come again. He’s a real fighter.”
