Owen Duffy [5(2)-02(2)] he’s focused on the potential prize and not pride ahead of his fight with Dominic Donegan [5(1)-3(0)-1].
‘The Butcher Boy’ meets his close neighbor in an intriguing Clash of Cavan on the Eric Donovan vs. Khalil El Hadri undercard [13(7)-1(0)] live on TG4 this Saturday night.
The fact that Cavan GAA’s underage former teammates live in neighboring villages and know each other extremely well has led to the fight being constructed as a parochial showdown, with local pride said to be a central motivating factor for both.
Donegan has fueled that narrative by comparing it to a Drumgoon vs. Shercock GAA club match and revealing that he fears being known locally as the “man who lost to a Shercock fighter.”
Duffy, on the other hand, says his focus is not on what the fight does for his local position, but what it can do for him nationally and where that places him in the Irish title picture.
“Wise pride? To be honest, we are only fighting for the best versions of ourselves. I don’t feel any pressure, the only pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves,” he tells Irish-boxing.com.
“It’s a great opportunity for both of us. Brand [Dunlop] he was saying that there are Irish title fights for the winner and whoever loses can go back out.
“I want to go forward for the Irish titles, I want to become an Irish champion, those are my goals and this is just another fight to get there.”
While the nature of junk derby doesn’t provide extra motivation or pressure, Duffy points out that it should add some flavor and ensure entertainment.
“There’s more to this than just another fight, it’s pretty local, there’s a lot to the story and it’s going to be a great challenging fight. But these are the fights I’ve been asking for for the last two or three years. There’s a lot of pressure, but this is what I’ve been looking for. I’m excited about the challenge and this will show me where I’m at,” he adds before suggesting that their familiarity should set off fireworks.
“We have trained in the same club several times, my coach was his coach once, I have also fought him in the amateurs. We both know each other pretty well, it’s going to be fireworks. There is a lot at stake for us, great opportunities. It’s one of the biggest fights for me in terms of where I want to go, so I’m not looking down on it.”
