Naseem is favourite to retain world title

NOT MANY years ago Dublin was regarded as a graveyard for professional boxing. Several promoters native and otherwise tried to stage realistic boxing shows in the capital and most of them flopped spectacularly.

There had been some success with a European title fight between Billy "Spider" Kelly in the CIE bus garage in Donnybrook but when Charlie Nash fought for the world title in Dalymount Park some years later the whole thing turned out to be a fiasco, with Nash finding it difficult to even get paid after a sad defeat.

Ironically, a teenage boxer who appeared on that bill in his first professional fight was to signal a spectacular change in Irish professional boxing. His name was Barry McGuigan.

Since then the professional fight game has been given a lease of life, which at that time seemed most unlikely. McGuigan defended his world featherweight title at the RDS in Ballsbridge. A native Dubliner, Stephen Collins emerged as a world champion, he and Wayne McCullough defended their world titles successfully at The Point and tonight three world champions will defend their world titles at the same venue with a strong back up bill featuring no fewer than five Irish boxers.

Without any doubt the top bout of the night will be that featuring the colourful and sometimes controversial, "Prince" Naseem Hamed, defending his World Boxing Organisation featherweight title against the former World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation champion Manuel Medina from Mexico.

Naseem, who has a Yemeni background, was born and reared in a tough working class area of Sheffield. He was introduced to boxing as a frail six year old by his father, who wanted him to be able to protect himself from bullying and racist attacks in the streets near his home.

Naseem senior handed his son into the care of Brendan Ingle, a true blue Dub, who had grown up in similar circumstances in the Ringsend area of the city and the result was a tiny but dynamic boxer with a taste for what boxing folk call "show boating" and a tongue to match his precocious boxing talents.

Naz, as he is known now to insiders, has had a brief (so far) but spectacular career since he made his debut in the professional ring in April of 1992 with a second round knockout.

Since then he has fought 21 other fights, winning all of them and recording 20 knockouts in the process.

He finally took the WBO featherweight title in September of last year, when he stopped the holder Steve Robinson in the eighth round of their bout in Cardiff and has defended it successfully twice since then, by knocking out Said Lawal and Daniel Alicea, in the first and second rounds of their challenges, respectively.

In the latter fight, Naseem experienced the unique and for him deeply embarrassing setback of being floored in the first round by Alicea but his revenge was swift and sure.

Nevertheless the experience showed that, in spite of what he says himself, he is not invincible or untouchable and that chink in his armour, however slight, may be exploited by the vastly experienced Manuel Medina tonight.

Medina has had a total of 59, as compared to Naseem's 22, professional engagements with 23 knock outs to his credit. Naseem dismisses this impressive pedigree in his normal way but still admits to having admiration and respect for his opponent which, for him, is a rare compliment.

As far as their records go, there is a common denominator in the form of Juan Pol Perez. Naseem won on a knockout in two rounds, Medina took the full 12 rounds to win.

If Naseem's self assurance can be set aside for a moment, it must be accepted that he starts a very firm favourite to retain his title. Such an outcome would almost certainly set up a re unification bout between him and the favourite in the second rated fight on the programme tonight.

That will be the IBF title clash between Tom Johnson from Indiana and Ramon Guzman from Venezuela. Both Naseem and Johnson seemed to be already squaring up for such a bout when they met here in Dublin earlier in the week. A date in early November has been pencilled in should such an outcome materialise.

The third world title fight on the bill features the reigning WBA cruiserweight champion, Nate Miller from Philadelphia, who defends against James Heath from North Carolina. This, on the face of it, may appear to be a foregone conclusion but as any boxing expert will attest, strange things can happen in the ring when one punch can change the course and nature of a fight.

The supporting bill has a number of bouts of considerable interest for Irish fans. Michael Carruth, the Olympic welterweight champion of 1992, takes a further step along the road in pursuit of a world title himself, when he meets Mark Brannon from the US. This will be Carruth's 14th professional fight. To date he has won 12 with only one black mark against him, a points defeat by Gordon Blair. However, he avenged that defeat by taking on Blair a second time and forcing him to retire in the fourth round.

The former European featherweight champion, Paul Griffin, also from Dublin, will be having his ninth pro fight and seeking to keep a clean sheet.

Also in action will be Paschal Collins, another Dubliner, who meets Gordon Behan from Birminghan over six rounds, while Mark Winters from Antrim, meets John Smith from Liverpool. Marty Reneghan from Armagh makes his professional debut against Andy Martin from Hull. There are 12 fights down for decision starting at 6.30 p.m. The Naseem Medina bout is expected to start at 10.0 p.m.