Duddy's title dreams are in tatters

BOXING NEWS: WHEN IT was pointed out last week that Billy Lyell, the light- punching Ohio journeyman he would face in Newark two nights later, appeared to represent a step down in competition from his more recent fare, John Duddy had bristled and replied: "There are no easy fights."

The veracity of the observation was already apparent to those who have monitored his career.

Despite a 26-0 record that had taken him to the top of the world rankings, the Derry middleweight had often struggled against seemingly inferior opposition. Over the past few years three proposed title challenges (versus then-middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, then light-middle champ Verno Phillips, and, more recently, current 160lb king Kelly Pavlik) had been deferred pending a retrenching of the Irishman’s credentials, and the widespread concern had been that one of the trial horses might knock him off before he achieved the big pay-day a championship bout might bring.

If they were hoping to preserve Duddy’s candidacy, it’s hard to imagine his new connections could have found an opponent less threatening than Lyell against whom he was matched at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday night, but Lyell, who resembles ET in trunks, brought the scheme crashing down by handing Duddy his first defeat with a split decision win.

Although one judge scored Duddy the winner by 96-94 margin, the two others who returned 98-92 and 97-93 ballots saw a clear-cut verdict in Lyell’s favour. As Duddy, his title dreams in tatters, was packed off to hospital for his latest round of stitchery, it was Lyell, 19-7-1 with only three stoppages on his 26-fight CV, who was being measured for the Cinderella’s slipper.

It was Lyell’s fortune to be at his relentless best on a night when Duddy had nothing. For most of the evening he rained harmless but scoring blows off Duddy’s unprotected head, as the Irish boxer seemed to have difficulty even keeping his hands up.

Jack Loew’s observation that Duddy “got his ass handed to him by a B fighter” might seem ungracious to both winner and loser, but Loew, who was working Lyell’s corner in Newark, also happens to be Pavlik’s trainer, and in his view the result laid bare an illusory process that had brought Duddy contender status.

“They’ve been protecting Duddy, trying to keep him clean for Pavlik, but that fight, had it happened, would have been murderous,” said Loew. “I had said Duddy was overrated, and I told Billy, ‘He can’t get out of the way of a straight punch’.”

Duddy’s reputation as a ticket-seller also took a hit. Main Events, who promoted the card, had hoped the 5,000-strong army of green-clad loyalists who regularly turned out for Duddy’s Irish Ropes-promoted shows in New York would make the 20-minute train ride across the Hudson, but a disappointing crowd of 2,500 turned out. Less than two months earlier, 6,000 mostly-Polish fans had jammed the building when Tomasz Adamak defended his cruiserweight title against Johnathan Banks.

Duddy had already blown up his long relationship with Irish Ropes, and in the wake of this catastrophe his future with new adviser Craig Hamilton and trainer Pat Burns may also be imperilled. As part of the managerial rupture, Duddy had withdrawn from two winnable bouts (against Sam Hill and Ronald Hearns) that would have earned him over €150,000. Now, not only has a title shot gone, it seems unlikely Duddy could command anything better than a four-figure purse for his next American outing – if there is to be one.

If he hopes to rebuild his career, Duddy may have to return to Ireland against European opposition. Promoter Brian Peters might be willing to undertake such a campaign. Peters said, “I might be the only man who can do anything for him.”