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Toughest debut since McGregor-Mayweather? Shock first fight confirmed for Dublin show


Hot on the heels of the shock all-Irish grudge match announced for the Belfast BoxNation bill tonight, another stunning last-minute fight has been confirmed for this weekend’s action.

Sean McGlinchey and Padraig McCrory go to war tonight at the Titanic Exhibition Centre but the Assassin ‘Rise Again’ card tomorrow [Saturday] at the National Basketball Arena has also been boosted by the late addition of a competitive fight.

Dublin light welterweight Francy Luzoho makes his debut on the bill in Tallaght and ‘The Butcher Boy’ is set for one of the toughest debut fights in recent memory.

Luzoho will make his bow against English fighter Sam Jones [6(1)-1(1)] in a four round contest.

Bournemouth’s Jones debuted in 2016 with three wins before being stopped by game journeyman Chris Adaway. He would avenge this defeat six weeks later and has won two further bouts, most recently last November.

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It is a surprising and extremely dangerous first fight for the Steven O’Rourke-trained Luzoho who had previously promised to put on the best debut fight in Irish boxing history.

Last year Conor McGregor would face five-weight champion Floyd Mayweather in his first and only professional boxing bout. Away from this big-money ‘event’ there have been tough debut fights in the recent past for the likes of Victor Rabei, Vladimir Belujsky, and Chris Mullally, however all these came against especially game journeymen rather than a fellow prospect.

The last Irish fighter to lose his debut was Dubliner Shane Roche who was beaten in his pro bow in Australia during the Summer.

The card tomorrow night is headlined by an eight-round clash between Allan Phelan and Damian Lawniczak and also features six-rounders for John Joyce, Dylan Moran, Paul Hyland Jr, Feargal McCrory, and Lynn Harvey, fours for Cillian Reardon, Craig McCarthy, Owen Duffy, and Johnny Corcoran, and debuts for Stephen Webb, Martin Wall, Eddie Treacy, and Paddy Nevin.

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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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