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Victor Rabei facing “every disadvantage” warns Jake Hanney


It’s BUI Celtic champion, the winner of two-all Irish fights, and someone being tipped for big things in Victor Rabei versus an inactive fighter coming back off a two-year lay-off and a stoppage defeat in Jake Hanney – yet the latter is adamant the former is making a ‘big step up’ this Saturday.

There has yet to be a punch thrown, but Hanney has already come back with a bit of a bang.

The Inner City Dub, who was last seen losing to Tyrone McKenna as far back as March 2017, returns in a TG4-broadcast BUI Celtic title fight and has the confidence to predict he will be the A=side of the intriguing fight.

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The 29-year-old suggests he has all the important advantages over his ‘Clash of the Titans’ rival.

‘The Wizard’ says he is bigger, hits harder and has more technical acumen than Rabei [6(2)-0], a fighter that has impressed en-route to the verge of domestic stardom.

“I don’t know much of him. I seen bits of him with Karl Kelly, just highlights, but I think this is a big big step up for him,” Hanney [5(4)-1(1)] told Irish-Boxing.com.

“I have been there, I boxed at a higher level. I think I will bring him places he has never been.

“I think stature will be an issue, really I do. I think he could make lightweight. I think I am going to be a bit more experienced than him and I mean no disrespect I know I have to be on my game, but I think he has every disadvantage in this fight. I am bigger, stronger and I am the better boxer.”

It may sound strange for some to hear a fighter with just six fights and a long lay off on his resume speak with such confidence.

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However, Hanney has revealed he is now living the life under the strict stewardship of new coach Eddie Hyland and is in a far better position than he was before the McKenna title fight.

The East Wall talent recalled how “two weeks before the McKenna fight I hadn’t even done a full weeks’ training with working.”

“I was miles overweight, I was probably 75kg and I crashed trying to get done. I was just in saunas, I wasn’t even running because I was too lazy to run. I was just fighting for the payday, really.”

“Now I feel good, I feel really good. Over all my fights over the past six years, this is the most I’ve trained,” he adds before reflecting on his link-up with Hyland.

“I first rang Eddie a few months ago, before Christmas, and we had a chat on the phone Eddie said ‘look, I take no shite, but I don’t listen to what people say, I’ll take you on how you are with me’.”

“I had a reputation for being a party boy and it would have been fair back then, not so much though. Work wise, it was always hard [to balance] but with Eddie it’s not because I just love training with him and the lads.”

“The hunger is back, I’m rejuvenated – and I never really believed that when I heard boxers saying it but then it happened to me. I feel rejuvenated, I feel like a new man, I’m doing things in sparring that I haven’t been able to do in a long, long time.”

Hanney now feels he has the pedigree and the preparations to cause an upset on Saturday at the National Stadium in a fight that has the potential to further cement TG4’s love affair with boxing.

The Dubliner described how “this camp, I’m well on weight – I’m ahead of my weight target – I’m training like an animal. I feel like I’m in a proper camp, I’m doing a load of training, busting out eight rounds of sparring no problem – fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, I’m getting stronger as the rounds go on which is a first!”

“As an amateur I was captaining Irish teams all over the world. When I went Down Under I was knocking people out. I had a title fight in my fourth fight, 10 rounder against a tough Philippine fella. I believe people will know about me after this show.”

“It’s going to give me a lot of exposure and the platform to get right back in the mix with a good performance. I really believe that people are going to see what I’m all about on March 30th.”

Tickets for ‘Clash of the Titans’ cost €40 (general), €60 (ringside), and €100 (VIP) and are available from the boxers involved or Ticketmaster (CLICK HERE).

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)

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