John Duddy, always a ticket seller, has fought in boxing rings from Ireland to Illinois and on April 24th he will make his first appearance in New Jersey.
“Ireland’s” John Duddy wants a title shot someday soon and he will take the next step on that journey when he faces Ohio’s Billy Lyell on April 24th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Duddy, who has fought 16 times in New York, will make his fistic debut in the state of New Jersey and he is hoping that a title shot against world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is in the not too distant future. As long as Duddy keeps winning, all of the pieces seem to be in place for him to get a shot at “The Ghost.”
Firstly, Lyell is trained by Pavlik’s trainer Jack Loew and the Duddy fight will afford Loew the opportunity to form an up close and personal scouting report on the undefeated Duddy who has a record of 26-0, 17 knockouts.
Secondly, Duddy is currently rated #4 by the WBC and #2 by the WBO at 160-pounds which are the two belts that Pavlik holds.
Thirdly, and perhaps most important, is that Pavlik’s promoter and head shot-caller, Bob Arum, indicated that he is open to making a Pavlik vs. Duddy fight at Madison Square Garden due to the fact that the 29 year-old Irishman is a prolific ticket seller in the city.
Duddy, currently honing himself into shape in Miami, Florida with trainer Pat Burns, is eagerly anticipating a shot at Pavlik sometime in 2009.
Duddy scored one of his biggest wins when he beat Howard Eastman via 10-round decision at King's Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2007.
“The thing is that I just need to keep working on myself and my side of things,” said Duddy. “I need to keep winning, keep getting fights and control the things that I can control and I think the opportunity will arise. The important thing is that I need to be prepared and hopefully it’ll [the title shot] come sooner rather than later.”
Duddy is expected to make short work of Lyell, a game but limited 24 year-old who will bring a pedestrian record of 18-7, 3 knockouts to the ring on a show being promoted by Kathy Duva and Main Events.
Duddy claims training has been going well and that he has been incorporating a variety of different activities into his regimen from swimming to bicycle riding in order to keep his routine fresh and interesting.
“I hear the Prudential Center is a fantastic arena so I’m really looking forward to it,” Duddy said. “I’m hungry as ever. Billy Lyell is a good opponent, a good fighter, a tough fighter and he comes from Youngstown, Ohio and has the same trainer as Kelly Pavlik. So, if he’s anything like Kelly he’s going to be one hundred and ten percent ready to go. He’s coming there to upset my dream of getting closer to fighting for a world title.”
In only his third fight with Burns, and now under the managerial guidance of the very capable Craig Hamilton, Duddy says he’s able to focus all of his energy on training and winning.
“I think it’s going to be a great night for me,” Duddy said. “I’m going to be ready one-hundred and ten percent, as usual, so that I can put on a good show for the fans from New York to New Jersey and all over.”
April 2009
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