They have dubbed him ?The Nuisance.? Sometimes it?s ?The Irish Kid.? Most of the time, his first name will do.
Just don?t call unbeaten lightweight prospect Jamie Kavanagh (8-0, 3 KOs) Scottish, which has become the running joke at the Wild Card Boxing Club after a news report stated as much after a sparring session the Dubliner had with Manny Pacquiao a few days ago.
?Now there?s nothing wrong with being Scottish, but I?m Irish, and I got to keep to my roots,? Kavanagh said with a smile.
Perhaps the flub wasn?t necessarily a sign of disrespect as much as it was Kavanagh?s still-emerging presence on the world boxing scene. As an amateur, he was well-traveled, emigrating from Ireland to Malaga, Spain, where he spent much of his teenage years and amateur career with trainer Sedano Ruiz.
However, after clawing his way to a silver medal at the AIBA Youth World Championships, Kavanagh turned pro, making another international trip to Hollywood and impressing both Freddie Roach and Steven Feder of Standing Eight enough to sign the kid to a managerial contract.
Now 21 years of age and having added Golden Boy as his promoter, Kavanagh has grown as a fighter, especially on the offensive end, where he varied his combinations and mixed speeds like a seasoned veteran in his last outing, a lopsided unanimous decision over Marcos Herrera.
The performance was a far cry from his bout on national television in June of last year, when he struggled through four rounds against Luis Sanchez for his second pro victory.
Kavanagh caught up with BoxingScene to talk about his recent exploits in the ring with Pacquiao, his upcoming Dec. 10 fight on the Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson undercard, as well as the status of his own career, which he hopes will blossom to the point where the details regarding his origin will no longer be questioned.
ON HIS OCT. 28 DATE BEING CANCELLED AND HIS UPCOMING BOUT ON DEC. 10:
?We just came back into camp. We were training for a fight on October 28, but it fell through when the main event got hurt. We couldn?t get a date to replace that, so we?re going to train straight into Amir?s undercard in December.?
ON THE EXTENT OF HIS SPARRING WITH MANNY PACQUIAO SO FAR:
?Yesterday I did four rounds, [Raymundo] Beltran went four, and David Rodela went three. It felt good. I?ve sparred Manny before, but every time you spar him, it?s a different experience. He brings something new to the table every time.?
