John Duddy's Upcoming Fights

Well All,

I’m a little surprised there has been relatively little written about John Duddy on these threads recently so I’ll start the ball rolling.

Looks like Duddy will be a busy boy over the next six months, something I feel at this stage of his career he needs to be. First off there is what many see as a warm up fight against Sam Hill, http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=20769&cat=boxer
He did go 10 rounds with Jermain Taylor in 2002 but was well beaten. He also lost his last three fights.

Than in January an eagerly anticipated fight against Ronald Hearns.
http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=245006&cat=boxer
This could be a tough one. He is also unbeaten, and out of his 20 fights only five have gone the distance, however the calibre of fighter that he has fought should be taken into account. Still it should be an interesting fight.

Than his team want another fight in March on the St. Patricks weekend (Read the second article from the Irish Boxing website). I just get the feeling that Duddy’s team get a little ahead of themselves, I just hope their wont be another Smichet performance to knock Duddy and his team back a peg or two.

Anyway it should be an interesting time ahead for Duddy who at 29 needs to really start step up and do what he’s very much capable of doing, which I believe is winning a world title.

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Taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/7683578.stm

John Duddy will make his return to the ring when he faces American veteran Sam Hill in Manhattan on 21 November.
The Derryman will be expected to account for the 38-year-old at the Roseland Ballroom.

Hill's record includes a win over former Olympic gold medallist and world champion David Reid while he also went 10 rounds with Jermain Taylor.
However Hill took a heavy beating before being stopped by Peter Quillin in the 10th round in his last fight.

Duddy has not boxed since chalking up his 25th successive pro win in June and he has been itching to get back into the ring.

Victory should land Duddy a lucrative bout against another undefeated fighter, Ronald Hearns - the son of boxing legend Tommy Hearns.
That bout is earmarked to take place at Madison Square Garden on 17 January.

Duddy will drop down a division to fight at light-middleweight division against Hill who has a record of 17 wins, nine defeats and one draw.

"I'm glad to get back in the ring," Duddy said.
"I can't wait to show my fans there what I've been doing to improve with (my trainer) Pat Burns.
"This fight will get me one step closer to a world title shot.
"Hill comes to fight. He's a crafty pro who knows his job and is very capable."

Duddy, who has top-10 ratings with the WBO, WBC and IBF, is training in Miami ahead of the 21 November fight.

"Training camp has been great and the sparring is good," Duddy added.
"I've been sparring with fighters who have a lot of speed and decent power. I've really enjoyed the time I've had with faster guys.
"I've picked up a lot and it's better than sparring with plodding, heavier guys."


Taken From http://www.irish-boxing.com/stories/october08/october08_duddy_hill.html

Duddy to take on Hill 14 October 2008

Sam Hill has been confirmed as John Duddy’s opponent for his November 21 outing at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

A victory over the 38-year-old Hill in a catch-weight contest at 157lbs will pave the way for a mouth-watering light-middleweight match-up with Ronald Hearns, a bout which irish-boxing.com understands has been agreed in principle for The Theater in Madison Square Garden.

It has been rumoured that Duddy, should he defeat the highly-rated Hearns, will then be paired off with IBF light-middleweight champion Verno Phillips.

However, irish-boxing.com has learned that Team Duddy are not targeting any champion in particular and are solely focused on securing Duddy a major bout for his St. Patrick’s Day event at Madison Square Garden on March 15.