Another step on the road to provide boxing supporters with regular professional bouts in Dublin will be taken tonight when an eight-bout programme will be staged at the National Stadium in Dublin. Topping the bill is the fight for the Irish super middleweight title between Jim Rock from Dublin and Michael Alexander, who is from Doncaster but has Irish parentage.

The bout will be over 10 three-minute rounds. Rock, who has lost only one of his 11 bouts to date, is the current holder of the middleweight title having beaten Michael Monaghan last September on points over 12 rounds. He has since beaten Perry Ayres, who retired in the third round of their bout in Cleethorpes, and Jimmy Vincent last January in Dublin over 10 rounds.

The main supporting bout will feature Ireland's only Olympic gold medal-winning boxer, Michael Carruth, in a 10-round bout at welterweight against Chris Saunders from Barnsley. Carruth was originally scheduled to box for an Irish title against Gerard Murphy, but he withdrew following a hand injury.

The promoter of the bill, Brian Peters, hopes that both Rock and Carruth come through unscathed in the hope that they will be able to challenge for European titles within the next few months.

Peters has signed an exclusive three-year contract with Carruth and Rock with a view to the staging of regular professional bouts at Dublin venues. In all he hopes to stage five shows this year and regards the commitments made by Carruth and Rock as the most important part of his strategy in this regard.

"Occasional shows in various venues will not attract regular customers. If we can put together attractive shows on a regular basis I believe professional boxing can thrive here in Dublin," he says. The programme tonight is due to start at 7.0 with a bout between the promising light heavyweight Ahmet Oner from Dusseldorf and Slick Miller from Doncaster.

The bantamweight bout between Willie Valentine from Dublin and Kevin Gerowski from Nottingham promises to be interesting in more ways than one. Valentine has promised to sing if he wins.

Cathal O'Grady from Kildare will attract a lot of support for his fight with Kevin Mitchell from London. O'Grady is unbeaten in nine bouts, eight of which ended inside the distance.