“You Call a Man Out, You Fight” – Richie O’Leary Accepts John Boyd’s Challenge
Once Richie O’Leary’s name passed the lips of John Boyd, there was only going to be one outcome.
The old school nature of the Dubliner only allows him to respond to call-outs in one way.
For O’Leary, the challenge has been issued, and the only logical next step is to throw down.
In truth, the Belfast stylist didn’t quite call out O’Leary, but rather confirmed they would fight for the BUI Celtic title on a JB Promotions bill at the National Stadium in October.
Still, O’Leary was happy to hear it as a name drop.
“The way I was brought up, you call a man out, you fight. So that’s it – the fight’s on now,” O’Leary told Irish-boxing.com.
O’Leary goes into the fight on the back of a domestic win over Seanie Murray and is happy to step back into all Irish action.
Although this time, he wants a tangible reward.
“I took a domestic last time, but there was nothing really to fight for other than pride. If this fight is going to happen, it has to be for the Celtic title. I want a reward for this one.
“The plan was to fight in February over six rounds and then fight Seanie for the Celtic in April,” he explained. “That show fell through, but I’d already given my word that I’d fight him. So I stuck to it, even though it meant going in without the six-rounder. I still wanted the title back then.”
Now, with October 10th the rumoured date for the Boyd bout and the National Stadium again looking like the likely venue, O’Leary is staying ready.
“There have been a couple of private discussions about dates. I thought I’d be out in August, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening now. I just go with the flow, keep training – but yeah, if it’s Boyd, and if it’s for a title, I’m in.”
As O’Leary says: call a man out, you fight.
