'Finally'; Fresquez Productions presents Holly Holm and Mary Jo Sanders fighting for Pound-for-Pound Supremacy, June 13th

Holm-Sanders Press Conference

ALBUQUERQUE– A Fresquez Productions, Inc. press conference was held today at the Isleta Casino & Resort to formally announce “Finally,” the pay-per-view event (10PM/ET-8 PM/MT), headlined by Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm and Mary Jo Sanders – “The Battle for Pound-for-Pound Supremacy” -- on June 13th live from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico.(Photo By: Chris Cozzone/Fightwire Images)

“Finally,” produced and distributed by Integrated Sports, will be available for live viewing on cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN and DirecTV for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

Holm (21-1-2, 6 KOs), fighting out of Albuquerque, faces Detroit icon Sanders (25-0, 8 KOs) in the 10 round main event for the vacant International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) junior middleweight title.

The three other scheduled PPV bouts include two more IFBA title fights: Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback (26-5-2, 11 KOs), fighting out of Tampa (FL), against Jeannine “G9” Garside (7-0-1, 3 KOs), representing Ontario (Canada); Wendy Rodriguez (18-4, 3 KOs), of Los Angeles, versus Hollie “Hot Stuff” Dunaway (21-6, 10 KOs), from Van Buren, Arkansas. Eileen “The Hawaiian Mongoose” Olszewski (5-0), fighting out of New York City by way of Honolulu, will be featured in the fourth PPV bout.

Eileen “The Hawaiian Mongoose” Olszewski

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $50.00, $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $350.00 and $500.00, go on sale March 18 at the Isleta Casino and Resort box office, www.tickets.com or at Fresquez Productions,

Inc. (508.884.7484). For more information go to www.fresquezproductions.com or www.holmvssanders.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM/MT, first bout 7:00 PM/MT, first televised bout 8:00 PM/MT.

Holm-Sanders Albuquerque Presser Quotes


Holly Holm: “I’m going to train harder than I’ve ever trained before. I’ll be ready for whatever Mary Jo brings.”

Mary Jo Sanders: “I don’t want to talk crap. Our records and fights should speak for themselves. I’m not only happy about my fight with Holly, but the undercard is so good, I’m so happy to headline a card of this magnitude with the other girls in order to show the world that women can fight and not just look pretty.”

Mike Winkeljohn (Holm’s manager/trainer): “Holly is by far No. 1 pound-for-pound and that’s why she was named the 2007 WBAN Fighter of the Year and Ring magazine’s 2005 and 2006 Fighter of the Year, along with the IFBA 2007 Fighter of the Year. Mary Jo’s team recognizes Mary Jo, but the organizations are what count. I think she may pull out of the fight with an injury once she realizes what she is in for.”

Jimmy Mallo (Sanders’ manager/trainer): “This fight will not go the distance. Mary Jo is just too strong for Holly. She’s never been in the ring with someone with Mary Jo’s type of power.”

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SecondsOut Radio: James Moore, Pawel Wolak, Joey Reynolds, Pacquiao-Marquez 2‏

SecondsOut Radio: James Moore, Pawel Wolak, Joey Reynolds, Pacquiao-Marquez 2 On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, at http://www.secondsout.com/radio/,host Eddie Goldman begins by discussing his failed attempt to orderthe Pacquiao-Marquez 2 pay-per-view on Time Warner Cable in New York,and what happened next. This past Saturday night, March 15, at the same time as Pacquiao-Marquez 2 in Las Vegas, the annual tradition of a major boxing show atMadison Square Garden on St. Patrick's Day weekend continued. In themain event, unbeaten junior middleweight James Moore (15-0, 10 KOs) ofQueens, NY, via County Wicklow, Ireland, faced the toughest opponentof his pro career, veteran former title challenger J.C. Candelo(27-10-4, 18 KOs). Moore won by a ten-round unanimous decision. In theco-feature, unbeaten junior middleweight Pawel Wolak, 20-0 (14 KOs)scored a second-round knockout over Dupre Strickland (18-3-1, 7 KOs). Right after their fights, we spoke with James Moore and Pawel Wolak.We also spoke with legendary radio host Joey Reynolds of WOR 710 AM inNew York, who attended this fight and covers boxing regularly on hisMonday-through-Friday overnight general interest talk show (http://wor710.com/pages/46370.php?contentType=4&contentId=157588/). It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register togain access to it. Just click here, http://www.secondsout.com/radio/,and listen, learn, and enjoy. Thanks, Eddie Goldman No Holds Barred bloghttp://nhbnews.blogspot.com/ No Holds Barred podcasthttp://nhbnews.podomatic.com/ The Boxing Standardhttp://boxingstandard.com/ No Holds Barred on MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/nhbnewsboxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide

IFL will honor the state champion wrestlers from N.Y. and N.J. high schools at the April 4 IFL event at Izod Center in E. Rutherford, N.J.

NEW YORK– The connection between the sports of wrestling and mixed martial arts is a strong and growing one। In recognition of the achievement of New York and New Jersey high school wrestlers this season, the International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) will honor the champions of both states and their coaches at the first major MMA competition on the East Coast in 2008, April 4 at the IZOD Center in E. Rutherford, N.J., beginning at 7:30 p.m. The league will recognize champions recently crowned in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) for their athletic excellence “More than two-thirds of our professional mixed martial arts athletes come from the high school and collegiate wrestling ranks,” said IFL CEO Jay Larkin. “We are proud to be able to highlight the success and hard work that these state champions have demonstrated and wish them success as they move forward in their academic and athletic careers.” Last year, the IFL and USA Wrestling, the national governing body of the sport of wrestling, began a partnership to help promote the relationship between the sports. The IFL has held clinics with USA Wrestling around the country, using IFL elite athletes with a strong wrestling background to show younger athletes how to improve technique. Numerous IFL athletes, including current champions Jay Hieron, Roy Nelson, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ryan Schultz and Ryan McGivern, have an accomplished wrestling background. In addition, former middleweight champion Matt Horwich earned a silver medal at the World Grappling Games in the summer of 2007 and his coach Matt Lindland is an Olympic Silver Medalist. Some of the elite wrestlers competing on the April 4 MMA card at the Meadowlands will include Hieron (Nassau C.C.), Matyushenko (Lassen J.C.), Shad Lierley (New York Univ.), L.C. Davis (Missouri Valley College) and Mike Ciesnolevicz (Lock Haven Univ.) The event will feature nine bouts, including the IFL featherweight, middleweight and light heavyweight belts, and will be seen live on HDNet and Fox Sports Canada, as well as on tape delay on FSN. About the IFLInternational Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. ---"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."- Adrienne Cook Catch the IFL on FSN Sundays at 5 p.m. and LIVE on HDNet on April 4 and May 16 boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide

NO HOLDS BARRED: Bob Meyrowitz

NO HOLDS BARRED: Bob Meyrowitz

http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2008-03-15T03_27_39-07_00

On this special edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Bob Meyrowitz, whose new mixed martial arts league, YAMMA Pit Fighting (http://yammapitfighting.com), will be debuting Friday, April 11, 2008, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with a pay-per-view show. Bob is the former CEO of Semaphore Entertainment Group, which produced the original, classic UFC events from 1993 to 2001.

We were joined in our discussion, held Tuesday, March 11, at the New York offices of YAMMA Pit Fighting, by Internet radio host Bob Carson of Carson's Corner (http://carsonscorner.podomatic.com/).

Among the topics discussed in this lengthy roundtable interview were the media, radio, and the Internet; what to expect at the debut show of YAMMA Pit Fighting April 11; their running a one-night heavyweight tournament; their Super Fight competitors Oleg Taktarov, Don Frye, Gary Goodridge, and Butterbean; and much more.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click the link at the start of this message, scroll down that page, and just press the play button on the player.

You can also download it by scrolling down that page and clicking on the download link (right-click to save it).

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

Make sure to check out my regular weekly boxing show SecondsOut Radio, at http://www.secondsout.com/radio/. On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, we begin by discussing the WBC heavyweight title fight won by Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) over Oleg Maskaev (34-6, 26 KOs) by a sixth-round stoppage, and the lightweight title fight won by Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) over Juan Diaz (33-1, 17 KOs) by a split decision in Cancun, Mexico. The comments of the announcers on HBO, which telecast these fights in the U.S., are particularly criticized here. We also review the cruiserweight unification bout won by David Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) over Enzo Maccarinelli (28-2, 21 KOs) by a second-round TKO in London, UK, telecast in the U.S. on Showtime and in the UK on Setanta. This coming Saturday, March 15, the long-awaited rematch between WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (48-3-1, 35 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao (45-3-2, 34 KOs) finally is set to take place. In their first bout, held at featherweight on May 8, 2004, Pacquiao dropped Marquez thrice in the first round, but Marquez recovered and was able to outbox Pacquiao for much of the remainder of the fight. The result was a controversial split draw. Now they will meet again in a bout in Las Vegas which will be shown in the U.S. on HBO Pay-Per-View. We spoke with Manny Pacquiao and his trainer and confidant Freddie Roach about what to expect March 15 on a media teleconference call this past week, and have that discussion for you here. It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, http://www.secondsout.com/radio/, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Make sure to check out my regular articles on the ADCC News at http://www.adcombat.com and on FightBeat.com at http://fightbeat.com.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

YAMMA Pit Fighting (http://yammapitfighting.com). The producers of the original UFC and Live Nation (http://livenation.com/), worldwide leaders in live entertainment, present YAMMA Pit Fighting mixed martial arts. On the streets, it's against the law. In the pit, it IS the law.

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

Gladiator Challenge (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/), shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/).

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/).

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

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Holm-Sanders Female PPV Super Fight June 13 at Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE– The long awaited, much anticipated showdown between two of boxing’s best, exciting and most popular females, Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm and Mary Jo Sanders, will headline the June 13th “Finally” pay-per-view event (10 PM/ET-8PM/MT), presented by Fresquez Productions, Inc., live from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Finally,” produced and distributed by Integrated Sports, will be available for live viewing on cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN and DirecTV for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.
Holm (21-1-2, 6 KOs), fighting out of Albuquerque, meets Detroit icon Sanders (25-0, 8 KOs) in the 10 round main event for the vacant International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) junior middleweight title.

“This is a fight between two supreme athletes in their prime battling for pound-for-pound supremacy,” promoter Lenny Fresquez said. “Holly is a natural junior welterweight who is fighting three divisions higher against the best middleweight in the world, Mary Jo, at 154 pounds (junior middleweight). The winner will be recognized as the top pound-for-pound active fighter in female boxing today.”

Holm, 2007 WBAN & IFBA Fighter of the Year, is the reigning IFBA welterweight champion and 7-time world title-holder in three different weight classes. She is 10-0(3 KOs) in world title fights and has defeated seven world champions including Christy Martin, Mia St. John, Jane Couch, Ann Saccurato, and Chevelle Hallback.
IBA middleweight title-holder Sanders, 4-time world champion in four divisions, is the daughter of Football Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Sanders, former Detroit Lions tight end star.

Mary Jo, 5-0 (2 KOs) in world championship bouts, has beaten nine world champions, including Valerie Mahfood, Melissa Del Valle, Eliza Olson, Tricia Turton, and Hallback.

IBA junior lightweight champion Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback (26-5-2, 11 KOs), fighting out of Tampa (FL), takes on IBA featherweight title-holder Jeannine “G9” Garside (7-0-1, 3 KOs), representing Ontario (Canada), in the 10-round co-feature for the IFBA lightweight title.

Two other exciting 10-round pay-per-view fights are on tap, IBA junior featherweight champion Wendy Rodriguez (18-4, 3 KOs), of Los Angeles, versus WIBF-GBU/WIBC minimumweight title-holder Hollie “Hot Stuff” Dunaway (21-6, 10 KOs), from Van Buren, Arkansas, for the vacant IFBA junior flyweight championship.

Newly crowned WIBA flyweight title-holder Eileen “The Hawaiian Mongoose” Olszewski (5-0), fighting out of New York City by way of Honolulu, will be fighting an opponent to be determined. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $50.00, $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $350.00 and $500.00, go on sale March 18 at the Isleta Casino and Resort box office, www.tickets.com or at Fresquez Productions, Inc. (508.884.7484). For more information go to www.fresquezproductions.com or www.holmvssanders.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM/MT, first bout 7:00 PM/MT, first televised bout 8:00 PM/MT.

Holm-Sanders Detroit Presser Quotes

The Holm-Sanders media tour kicked-off today in Detroit at the Andiamo Restaurant, continues tomorrow (Thursday, March 13 – 2 PM/MT) at the Isleta Casino & Resort (Bingo Showroom), and concludes Saturday morning (11 AM/PT) with a breakfast/press conference at the Luxor Hotel & Casino (Nile Chambers Room A & B) in Las Vegas.

Holly Holm: “Mary Joe is 25-0 and I feel that she’s been put in with the right girls. In 2 ½ more months everyone will know I’m the best in boxing. I don’t make predictions. We’ve all seen Mary Jo. I’ll train for 10 rounds and take it one round at a time. Anything can happen.”

Mary Joe Sanders: “I made a prediction once and my dad got made at me. I asked him to wait until after the fight. I predicted the third round and got her in the first. But that’s not the point. There’s no need for predictions. I don’t want to be focusing on that (round prediction). I know it’ll be a great fight.”

Mike Winkeljohn (Holm’s manager/trainer): “Mary Jo is undefeated. I hope they enjoy the last 2 ½ months being undefeated. Mary Jo is all those things (what Mallo said) but Holly is hard to hit. She’s as slippery as Jimmy’s (Mallo) hair. They must be nervous to have already started training. Holly’s going to start at the right time and not get burned out. I encourage them to do that (continue training).”

Jimmy Mallo (Sanders’ manager/trainer): “Mary Joe is by far the best female fighter in boxing. Holly Holm hops around like a bunny. She better not bring her dancing shoes that night. We train everyday; six days a week. So, I don’t think Mary Joe will peak too soon. I hope Vegas takes bets on this fight. Holly Holm can’t win this fight. Mary Joe is too good and too strong. It doesn’t matter what game plan, she can’t win. Mary Jo goes against the grain. She’s never thrown off by quickness. It really doesn’t matter. Mary Jo is a true fighter; Holly Holm is a bunny, hopping in and out, fighting like she’s doing the Cha-Cha. She better change her game plan for this fight. Whatever she does in this fight, Mary Jo is going to punch her harder than she’s ever been hit in her life.”

Lenny Fresquez (promoter of the show and for Holm): “The ring is only going to be 18 feet, so they shouldn’t think Holly will be dancing. The referee and judges will be neutral.”

CONTACTS: Bob Trieger, Full Court Press
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Le Reve Play 4 Parkinsons, a 1920's starr-studded casino gala to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation‏, Aprl 22

Le Reve Play 4 Parkinsons, a 1920's starr-studded casino gala to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation‏ Aprl 22

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APRIL 19 IN KATOWICE, POLAND ADAMEK-BELL IN IBF CRUISERWEIGHT ELIMINATOR

TOTOWA, NJ– Two of the world’s top cruiserweights will vie for the IBF’s #1 mandatory position on April 19, 2008, when Tomasz Adamek (IBF #3) and O’ Neil Bell (IBF #7) battle in a 12 round IBF eliminator, it was jointly announced today by Main Events, Ziggy Promotions, Warriors Boxing, and KnockOut Promotion.

Adamek (33-1, 22 KO’s) has stopped 15 opponents within the first three rounds. The 31-year-old Zywiec, Poland native captured the vacant WBC light heavyweight championship on May 21, 2005, when he decisioned Paul Briggs (W 12). He defended the title twice before losing to Chad Dawson on Feb 3, 2007 (L 12). Since moving to cruiserweight he is 2-0, 1 KO. Adamek is also recognized as the IBO Cruiserweight Champion.

Bell (26-2, 24 KO’s) is the former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The 33-year-old Atlanta, Georgian by way of Jamaica captured the undisputed crown on January 7, 2006, when he stopped defending champion Jean-Marc Mormeck (KO 10). Bell surrendered the undisputed title in his last bout on March 17, 2007, when he lost a decision in the rematch against Mormeck (L 12). Prior to the loss Bell had won 25 consecutive bouts.

“I am very excited about returning to my Polish homeland for this fight against Bell,” said Adamek. “Bell is a very good fighter, but I need to win this bout to get another title shot. I won’t let anyone stand in my way.”

““I look forward to this fight being the first step for me in recapturing the belts that rightfully are mine,” said Bell.

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TWO WORLD TITLES AT STAKE…MIGUEL COTTO vs. ALFONSO GOMEZ and KERMIT CINTRON vs. ANTONIO MARGARITO ON APRIL 12 AT BOARDWALK HALL ON HBO

Undefeated world champion Miguel Cotto defends his WBA welterweight belt on April 12 against Contenders’ star Alfonso Gomez.

Miguel Cotto


Miguel Cotto (31-0, 25 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico, has beaten a quartet of former world champions in his last five fights – Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi and Carlos Quintana – which has made him the most dangerous welterweight in the world. Gomez, in the biggest fight of his career on July 14, 2007, stopped Arturo Gatti in the seventh round and ultimately sent him into retirement.

Alfonso Gomez




Also featured on the card is IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron (29-1, 27 KOs) of Carolina, Puerto Rico, defending his IBF Welterweight title against former world champion Antonio Margarito.

Antonio Margarito

This will be Cintron’s chance to avenge his only professional loss which took place against Margarito at Caesars Palace on April 23, 2005.Kermit Cintron

Dunne goes “Into the West”; Dunne’s clash with former World Champion Felix Machado

Former European Champion Bernard Dunne will head “Into the West” for his return to the ring on the Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the International Events Arena, Breaffy House Resort in Castlebar, Co. Mayo on April 12th.


Dunne goes “Into the West”; Dunne’s clash with former World Champion Felix Machado, will mark his return to the ring following last August’s shock European title defeat against Kiko Martinez and the Dubliner is itching to step back between the ropes.

“I just can’t wait and it’s great to have a date to work towards now,” revealed Dunne who celebrated the birth of his second child in December. “I’ve had a good break and I got to spend a lot of time with the latest addition to the family. I missed that when Caoimhe was born because I had to go into training camp not long after so it was nice to be able to spend so much time with Pamela and the kids but I’m ready to go now again.”

The 28-year-old is determined to put the sole blemish on his pro career behind him and get back to winning ways against Machado. The Venezuelan southpaw held the world super flyweight title from 2000 to 2003 and holds wins over world champions Martin Castillo, Mauricio Pastrana and Julio Gamboa.

“To be honest I don’t care who’s in the other corner,” said Dunne. “I just want to get back in there and get back on track starting with this fight on April 12th.” Dunne insists he will continue to campaign at super bantamweight and is hopeful of a rematch with Martinez.

“I’d like to get Mr. Martinez in the ring again as soon as possible for obvious reasons. There are other factors to consider though with Kiko fighting under a different promotional banner so I don’t know if the fight can be made but if it comes along I’ll be ready for it. Hopefully it will but myself, Brian Peters and Harry Hawkins have sat down and established our own plan if that doesn’t come off.”

Looking back on his defeat to Martinez Dunne insists that he has no excuses. “I said immediately afterwards that I had no excuses and I’m not going to start making excuses now. It happened and that’s boxing. I was 100% mentally and physically ready for that fight but I just got caught by a shot I didn’t see coming. In sport there’s always a winner and a loser so when you come out of a fight on the wrong side you just have to deal with it and bounce back.”

Dunne has dismissed any notion that he will be out to prove the critics wrong on his return to the ring. “I don’t take any notice of things like that. I don’t need to prove myself to anybody other than myself. I don’t need any critics to motivate me, ultimately the motivation needs to come from within yourself and I have that more than ever now.”

Dunne’s contest with Machado will take place at the International Events Arena, Breaffy House Resort in Castlebar allowing Mayo fight fans to sample the excitement of professional boxing and Dunne is looking forward to heading west. “Brian has had the idea of bringing the show on the road for quite a while now and it’s something new so hopefully the atmosphere that the fights used to generate at the Stadium and The Point will travel to Mayo.”

Promoter Brian Peters believes that the Mayo venue will prove an excellent venue for Dunne’s return. “The facilities in the Breaffy House Resort are top class. We had a very successful show in Limerick with Andy Lee in February and we have Paul McCloskey headlining in Letterkenny next month so there’s a huge appetite around the country now for professional boxing and it’s great to see.”

Reflecting on Dunne’s fight with Kiko Martinez Peters said, “I suppose that night just showed the drama, the excitement and even the tragedy of professional boxing all rolled into one. It’s probably the only sport where you are always a split second away from glory or disaster and I suppose that’s what makes it so appealing to people.

“I believe boxing is very much a battle of wills and I’ve no doubt that Bernard still has the will to succeed at the highest level in the sport. A good fighter does not become a bad fighter overnight. The greatest of champions have been beaten and I think that to be a great fighter you have to tasted defeat and come back from it. It’s how you deal with defeat and adversity that really defines you and I believe Bernard will return a better fighter for the experience.”

Peters admits however that Machado is a huge test for Dunne on his return to the ring. “Certainly we can’t afford to look past someone with the quality of Machado. He’s a seasoned, durable opponent and has been to the very highest level. He’s competed in 8 world title fights and won the majority of them so Bernard certainly can’t be accused of taking on a soft touch.”

Trainer Harry Hawkins has backed Dunne to beat Machado in style having taken on board the lessons of the Martinez defeat. The Belfast based trainer said, “The mark of a great fighter is how they react after a defeat and I think he'll be back a better fighter for the experience. It was a harsh and costly lesson but Bernard will learn from it and bounce back, I’ve no doubt about that.”

The Hunky Dorys Fight Night on April 12th will feature an undercard with plenty of local interest as Mayo’s own fighting me take to the ring. Undefeated cruiserweight prospect Michael “The Storm” Sweeney will look to extend his unbeaten record while Castlebar’s very own Keith Cresham will make his pro debut at light heavyweight.

Also on the card is London based Galwegian John O’Donnell, a skilled welterweight operator who has long been tipped as one of Europe’s hottest prospects by leading U.K. promoter Mick Hennessy. The fighting trio from Connaught will be joined on the card by Cuban heavyweight sensation Mike “The Rebel” Perez in what will be his third scheduled professional fight in just 4 weeks.

Also on the card is Omagh’s unbeaten light middleweight Damian Taggart who is being mentored by All-Ireland winning manager Mickey Harte.

Tickets for the Hunky Dorys Fight Night priced from €60 go on sale from 9am tomorrow morning (Friday, February 29th) from Ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets.

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