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The John Duddy Fight of the Year – The Smackwear Irish-Boxing.com Awards 2018

Nothing beats a good fight and there have been plenty of wars this year involving Irish boxers.

They mightn’t have always won but they always played their parts in occasions of sporting theatre that are unrivalled.

Below we recognise our best FIVE fights of the year.

This award is named after the Derry Destroyer John Duddy who was involved in many wars and Fight of the Years during his career.

Fight of the Year

Stephen McAfee v Colin O’Donovan 2
A repeat of their 2017 war, the pair with rematched in another small hall brawl. McAfee, with his ferocious work in close, edged a split decision to claim the BUI Celtic super featherweight title.

mcafee

James Tennyson v Martin J Ward
Dropped hard to the body in the second, Tennyson managed to weather the storm in the third, hurt Ward in the fourth, and finish him in the fifth in an incredible turnaround to claim the Commonwealth and European titles.

tennyson

Martin Quinn v Karl Kelly
A six-round brawl that had everything – surprisingly strong skills from Quinn, a brave late charge from the relentless Kelly, and a controversial final result. More please.

kelly quinn

Ray Moylette v Christian Uruzquieta
An epic fight befitting of the grand stage in Mayo, Moylette somehow recovered from two heavy knockdowns in the fifth to push the tough Mexican hard down the stretch only for a late Uruzquieta charge to seal victory.

moylette uruzquieta

Carl Frampton v Josh Warrington
Already christened by Frank Warren as ‘the best fight’ he’s ever seen, Warrington ambushed the Belfast feather early with ferocity. Frampton dug deep and rallied against his younger foe in the second but it was not enough to claim the win on an emotional night.

frampton warrington

[yop_poll id=”54″]

You can vote in the earlier polls below:

The Andy Lee KO of the Year

The Eamonn Magee Jr Prospect of the Year

Moment of the Year

Performance of the Year

Breakthrough of the Year

Club of the Year

The Freddie Gilroy Young Boxer of the Year

The Micky Ward Round of the Year

The Patrick Hyland Sr Trainer of the Year

Comeback of the Year

The Alejandro González Jr Opponent of the Year

The Sean Mannion Gallant Defeat of the Year

Pro Debut of the Year

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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