Step Aside – Brennan wants BUI to stop McCarthy and Cronin hold up
Emmet Brennan has made the Irish title stand-off between Kevin Cronin and Craig McCarthy a Mexican one.
The BUI Celtic light heavyweight champion wants an Irish title shot at super middleweight and isn’t prepared to wait around for the Waterford and Kerry fighters to finish their war of words before challenging.
As things stand McCarthy and Cronin are mandated to fight for the green strap at 168lbs, they have been since the summer.
After a period of ill-tempered and public negotiation, they agreed to fight in Dublin on September 16. However the by now extremely eagerly anticipated fight fell along with that entire card and it was back to a standoff.
The fight has yet to be rescheduled, although there is faint rumour of it happening in Waterford in February.
Brennan isn’t convinced. The Dubliner doesn’t believe Cronin and McCarthy will ever share the ring and claims he will let his willingness to fight for the green strap be known to the Boxing Union of Ireland.
“Let’s call a spade a spade, that fight doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. I’m going to the BUI to say, ‘look I’m happy to fight either of them’. I’ll make the fight happen in February,” he tells Boxing Bants before suggesting he will make it about the title not a payday.
“If I have to take less money to make it happen I will. We are not getting great money either way you might as well just fight each other, fight for titles.”
Brennan has been domestic title keen since he turned over and stepped up to fight Jamie Morrissey in his second fight, defeating the ‘set the tone’ advocate to claim the BUI Celtic title at light heavyweight.
The Darren Barker-manged fighter feels fortunate to be in a weight class with ready-made title fights and has called on everyone to fight.
“We are very fortunate we are in a position where there are five, six, seven, eight of us at super middleweight that can all fight each other.
“It would be a shame to be in an era with so much volume on the domestic scene and to not fight each other and for the BUI title to be held hostage because two people can’t agree on a fight or whatever it may be. Sometimes it’s better for the two lads to move on and go different avenues.”
To their credit, Cronin and McCarthy appear keen to settle their grudge in the ring. The Kerry side of the fight has constantly called for an agreement to be reached, while it ‘Built2Last’ is hoping the fight tops a Waterford bill in the Spring.
Tommy Hyde should also enter the 168lbs domestic picture next year, while Jamie Morrissey remains a name at the weight.
