Brick City Boxing

Slugger Looks To Take Out Lyle, Championship In Midst?

By: Declan Hughes

John Duddy is finishing up his training camp in Miami for his April 24th match up against Billy Lyell. With trainer Pat Burns looking on, he says this about his budding prospect, “He’s doing really well, training hard and I am pleased. I’ve had the chance to look at footage of Lyell and he’s a tough guy that likes to brawl”. Burns goes on to say that this fight may resemble Duddy’s last fight when he outclassed Matt Vanda at Madison Square Garden a few months back. “He’s a lot like Vanda” Burns says.

Duddy, 28, with a record of 26-0, 17 KOs, out boxed a game Vanda to a unanimous decision. Lyell is 18-7 with just three KOs.

Duddy needs to step up this year instead of being fed sacrificial lambs and has beens, as was the case in the past with his former promoter, Irish Ropes. Duddy has since split with Irish Ropes and signed a deal with Main Events after the Vanda match.

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Since then, Irish Ropes has folded and went under after the embarrassing cancellation of their “Erin Go Brawl 2” fight card at the Madison Square Garden last March. Main Events knows very well how to groom a fighter into a champion, for example, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Arturo Gatti and Meldrick Taylor, just to name a few. Main Events is doing it with World Cruiserweight Champ Tomaz Adamek right now. Duddy should find great success under the Main Events banner as did all the fighters listed above. Surely Duddy will fight for a world title before the year is out as long as he gets by Lyell. If he doesn’t then he should reconsider and start looking for a day job because time is running out for the “Destroyer from Derry”.