Professional boxing continues its development with a six-bout bill at the National Stadium in Dublin on April 17th.

Unfortunately the scheduled WBU world light welterweight title bout between Shea Neary from Liverpool and the American, Mike Griffiths, has been cancelled because Neary broke a finger in training but the remainder of the bill goes ahead with Michael Carruth topping the bill in an Irish welterweight title bout against Gerard Murphy from England.

Also featuring are Jim Rock Gordon Behan, Cathal O'Grady, Martin O'Malley, Willie Valentine and Bernard McCummiskey which may see the revival of sellout nights in the National Stadium when amateur boxing was at its height.

One boxer who is delighted to be going back there is Michael Carruth. "Some of the greatest nights of my life have been at the National Stadium. I won four Irish titles there, two at light weight, one at light welter and one at welter and I believe that there will be a real buzz for me going back there again.

"The value of winning an Irish title is that it puts you into the European rankings. I am already there but Irish titles will now be valuable and several of the younger lads will benefit in the long run, I'm sure.

"I am feeling really in top - class form at the moment. This will be my second fight this year and I am promised another in the National Stadium in June when the Near-Griffith fight is rescheduled.

"I felt good in sparring and my hand speed has improved if anything. People seem to think that I am past it but I'm only 31 and that is not old for a welterweight, if anything I am better now than at any other stage of my professional career. I feel fresh and I am really looking forward to it. It will be like old times with so many Irish boxers on the bill."

Carruth became an ordinary citizen when he left the Army at the beginning of February. "The Army was very good to me and gave me leave of absence for five years when all they were required to give was three. They wanted me back but I wasn't ready to go but I am very grateful to them," he says.

The supporting fights on the bill will feature another Irish title bout, this time between Jim Rock and Gordon Behan from Leamington in England who was born in Dublin. Rock has won 11 of his 12 fights. Both title fights will be over 10 rounds.

Cathal O'Grady, the young cruiserweight from Kildare, is making steady progress in the professional ranks and is unbeaten in nine fights. Only one of those lasted the stipulated distance, the referee stopping the others inside the distance. His opponent this time is Kevin Mitchell from England. The fight will be over eight rounds.

O'Grady's manager Brian Peters is arranging for a sparring partner to be brought from the United States in the near future. O'Grady finds it difficult to find sparring partners in either Britain or Ireland. "I went over to England to get some sparring but they weren't anxious to take me on. I always spar hard and they weren't interested so a boxer called Kenny Murphy, who is managed by Don King will be coming over here next month," he says.

An interesting name on the bill is that of light weight Martin O'Malley who was born and reared in Dublin and is reported to have been a useful hurler before emigrating to the United States where he now lives in Washington. He meets Jimmy Phelan another English-based boxer with Irish roots

The other fights on the bill will be over four, three-minute rounds including the Willie Valentine-Steve Quinn match at bantamweight.