Tonight, the Irish have an opportunity to score upset victories on successive weekends. Last Sunday, Graeme McDowell won the U.S. Open golf tourney, and this evening, John Duddy can become the second son of Ireland to make an impact on the American sports scene; not to mention south of the American border as well. The charismatic middleweight squares off against the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez in the main event of the lone big boxing show of the weekend. In a sense, this duo is perfect for each other; both are media darlings whose positive press is not commensurate to their accomplishments. The man who emerges victorious can be sure of another PPV appearance and bigger paydays down the road.
The 31-year-old Duddy has been on boxing?s radar since 2005; thanks largely to relocating from The Emerald Isle and making New York City his adoptive home base. New York is the world?s largest media factory, and the press quickly fell in love with the handsome fighter with a musical brogue and back story worthy of a Dickens novel. Perhaps Duddy, 29-1 (18), became distracted, as a result, and was swallowed up by the whirl of ink dedicated to him. Results in the ring began to wane as press clippings increased. The Irish import struggled to get by average opposition but the drama of the fights masked the fact that Duddy should have been dispensing of that particular level foe with more ease. Though far from desperate and always positive, Duddy is keenly aware that he needs to grab this opportunity to earn a title shot his supporters thought was within reach a couple years ago.
Before a punch is thrown, John Duddy?s unique marketability will be felt. Top Rank, Chavez Jr.?s American promoter, will conduct boxing?s customary 10-count for Duddy?s uncle Michael. By doing so, Top Rank breaks from tradition since this is a usually reserved for men who recently passed away, Michael Duddy was killed 38 years ago. He was one of 14 martyred men who were slain in Derry on ?Bloody Sunday.? The event was a key flash point in Ireland?s ?Troubles? with England and reinvigorated the nation?s struggle for independence from British rule. Though of Irish descent, I am not convinced this symbolism is needed, nor appropriate, for a boxing match held in Texas. I hope this is not just another way for Bob Arum to hype this event; Duddy is more certain. ?[Duddy?s] Uncle Jack is one of the main reasons I became a boxer. He was a boxer too. Jackie was 17, and he was my father?s idol growing up.
The question industry insiders always asked about Duddy is whether he has the boxing ability to match his marketing potential. Currently the middleweight division is top heavy, with two good champions (Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm) and a plethora of ordinary contenders jockeying for position to challenge titlists in search of attractive opponents. Duddy fits the bill of attractive and a dominant victory over Chavez Jr. imbues Duddy with a sense of merit and perhaps a touch of menace. If Sturm is the target, Duddy has the advantage of having fought in Europe before with positive results. A win over Chavez Jr. would make Duddy a natural opponent for South American Sergio Martinez, who could use a seemingly easier but still attractive opponent, given his recent string of top-flight opposition. For either option to materialize, Duddy needs to dispatch of Chavez Jr. impressively.
By many accounts, Duddy was all set to fight for the lineal middleweight title against Kelly Pavlik two years ago. However, a combination of untimely managerial problems and pedestrian outings against journeyman opposition made Duddy, of all people, a tough sell. Then what some saw coming impacted on Duddy?s chin and he suffered a defeat to Billy Lyell (needing 33 stitches to stitch his face up) that pushed him to the back of the middleweight line. The loss has reawakened a sense of urgency in Duddy and contractual obligations were also straightened during this time. Only a tendency to cut continues to dog him as a negative. A bleeding Irishman with a big right hand will never be a tough sell, and Duddy?s workmanlike victory over Michael Medina on the Manny Pacquiao ? Joshua Clottey undercard (at Dallas stadium in front of 51,000 fans) set the table for this Texas showdown. The fight will mark, perhaps, the only time that Duddy has not entered the ring as the crowd favorite.
It could be a welcome change for Duddy not to be the main attraction at this promotion and most feel he is a beatable opponent with good name recognition. Duddy addressed this with boxing writers spreading that very word. ?I don?t really care what they think. I?m just eager for the fight to happen. I feel great. I?ve been training hard and everything?s been going great.” If nervous about the underdog role, Duddy has not let on and he does not seem fazed by the fight venue or opposition. ?He?s a good fighter. You have to have something to be where he is with his record (41-0-1, 30 KOs). But once you get under the ropes, it?s just us and I?m relishing the opportunity.? An opportunity that could lead directly to his dream. “I can have a crack at the 160-pound title [with a win]. I just want to get in there and fulfill my dream.” Duddy believes that, style-wise, the match favors the fans most. ?It?s going to be exciting. The two of us aren?t pretty dancers.”
In the other corner, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is complimentary of Duddy, without being impressed. ?Duddy is a good strong fighter. I think I?m going to win. I believe that he?s the type of fighter that has already reached his peak. He?s not going to get better.? There is one other player in this drama, as Chavez Jr. has acquired the services of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach; an addition to his team that Junior has placed a lot of emphasis upon. ?A trainer like Freddie Roach can take me to the next level; I know how tough he is but I will do what he says. With a great training camp, I will be able to take on Duddy ? who I think is a very good fighter ? and win.? The always honest Roach is a key to any fight he oversees, and is more leery of Duddy than most. ?We are in tough against Duddy. Duddy likes to throw hard right hands and Julio tends to get hit with rights. That?s not a good combination for us.?
To prepare for this Texas shootout, Duddy has decided to train at altitude; moving his camp from the regular setting of the famed Gleason?s Gym to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The high-altitude training should aid him in a fight that could easily take on the look of a grueling distance affair. Duddy informed his hometown newspaper, The Derry Journal, ?I?m going to go back to the blackboard and work on what I have to do and I?ll be 110 percent ready for the job at hand. I?m there to do my job and do what I?m good at and what I enjoy doing. It?s up to him to have answers.? A quote worth noting, since Chavez Jr. has never engaged in a competitive amateur bout. Duddy summed up. ?I know that this is going to be a great fight, and the toughest and hardest fight of my career. If I have my way, it?s going to be one of the hardest fights of his career as well.?
To listen to Duddy is to believe it is he who enters with all the advantages. “I look at it like this, I?m going into waters where I?ve been before and I think that the world is more focused on Julio than myself. I?m used to fighting in big fights in front of big crowds. Inside the ring, they have no control of what can happen. So I?m looking forward to a good fight. Training went well, so I think I?ve a good chance of winning.? Duddy also believes Roach will not be as big an impact on the shape of the fight, since he will not have had the time to work his magic. “Chavez Jr. is only going to change a little. It takes people a long time to change the way they box and Roach is not going to go in there with him in the ring to fight. It?s only going to be me and him.”
One of the things that Duddy will count on to improve his chance of winning is an ability to recall some New York City gym wars and a quality amateur pedigree. Duddy began boxing at age seven, winning his first Irish title at age 15 before competing in 130 fights, including international competitions. Duddy must have concentrated on the offensive side most, since he remains woefully deficient on defense to this day.
Perhaps Duddy?s biggest problem is that he does not have a go-to weapon His jab is solid but does not have enough stopping power to hold off a determined foe. On the inside, Duddy uses short hooks and volume, but cuts easily and is not strong enough to push off and create bigger openings. Everything is good but nothing stands out as a deciding factor to win a close fight. The bookies agree and have installed Chavez Jr. as a -350 favorite.
That is a bet that will be taken on two sides of the Atlantic, on Irish and American shores, since Duddy has gained a sizeable following in both countries. The perpetually positive boxer seems to have turned the bend on his boxing and personal life simultaneously. After some introspection, Duddy asked his original trainer Harry Keitt (who was replaced by higher profile Don Tuner and Pat Burns) to return to the fold and a new manager has taken a lot of the mental and media strain off Duddy in the run-up to the fight. He still needs to overcome a youthful counterpart in this 24-year-old foe, but believes experience outweighs youth and genes, in this case. Duddy says the key is want, not hype. ?I think I?m gonna prove and show that I?ve got the bigger heart and have more courage and that I want it more.? He also has the advantage of having gone the 12-round championship distance, which Chavez Jr. has yet to experience.
An eloquent Duddy summed up his thoughts and how he envisions the evening unfolding on Saturday. ?To be fighting in the main event on a pay-per-view card where the world can watch it, it doesn?t get much bigger than this. As long as I keep to my guns, keep my head down, keep working hard, and keep the belief in myself. I?m always getting closer to that goal of one day fighting for a world title.? A goal just around the corner as long as Duddy does not hold up that chin as high as his head. ?It doesn?t get much better for me and I?m enjoying every minute of it. I?m like a kid in a candy store and having a pack of everything that I want.? Duddy?s fans just hope Chavez Jr. is not too spicy a treat.
