Last fall, Harley Burke ended a 17-month layoff with a hard earned six-round unanimous points decision over Canadian Tevin Terrance on Long Island. It will only be seven months between fights this time around when the Galway product climbs back into the ring to take on Bronx fan favorite Louis Miaetta on June 14.
The super middleweight contest is scheduled for six rounds on Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing card at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.
Burke [9-0, 7 KOs] declared himself in top shape as he shoots for what he considers a milestone 10-0 record as a pro.
“The main thing here is I'm getting to 10-0, and [that’s] the goal. Obviously, I’m not looking past him, but when you get to 10-0 in boxing it's kind of a milestone for everyone when you turn pro. Once you’re 10-0 your value goes up. You're in a different category for sure, so it's a big fight for me in that sense,” he said.
Still, he’s not underrating Miaetta [6-4-2, 2 KOs].
“I know he's tough, he comes to fight,” Burke noted. “He’s a tough guy, but it's a fight I should win, you know. I should be favored in this. I obviously don't want to look past him. [But] it's a fight I should win. I should be the favorite in it.”
“More than anything, I'm just happy to be active again and fighting because if I didn't fight on this card, I don't know when I would be back in the ring again. So, this was the only fight that was offered to me. I took it and I'm grateful for the opportunity, I’m grateful Louis took the fight and I think we're gonna put on a hell of a show.
“He’s got a big following, I think that's why [promoter] Joe DeGuardia wanted this fight. He’s got a big Italian following in the Bronx. I got the Irish in the Yonkers and the Bronx, so we're gonna bring two [big] crowds. We both come to fight. I think it's going to be a very exciting fight,” he added.
Burke’s confidence is buoyed by a lengthy camp that’s left him in peak condition. It started not long after the win over Terrance in November.
“Joe told me I was fighting in February so I never left the gym -- usually when I get these long breaks I'm out of the gym and I get out of shape. It's the first time that's never happened because I thought I was fighting in February – I was supposed to fight an Albanian with a 21-1-1 record but that fell through. I just continuously kept training and never got out of shape, my weight never got out of control, so I'm really excited just to get back in there.”
Gaelic football has also helped keep the 6-foot-one Burke in shape. He turns out for Hibernians GFC in the Bronx. “I’m very big into Gaelic football. I'm on the board of the team and, yes it's huge part of my life, so that keeps me in shape as well. Yeah, I'm in great shape. I've never I've never been in this kind of shape for months on end, so it's been a change for me. It’s good.”
