He was a huge John Duddy fan growing up in upstate New York. As a youngster, Harley Burke would tag along with his father to watch the wildly popular Derry Destroyer at Madison Square Garden and even out of state. Now 29 and a prize-fighter himself, Burke could be on the cusp of a Duddy-like run.
The Galway-born super middleweight champion, a thunderous puncher with seven knockouts on his 8-0 ledger, goes for his ninth win this Saturday in a scheduled six-rounder with Canadian Tevin Terrance [1-1-2, 1 KO]. They clash in the 49th edition of Star Boxing's "Rockin' Fights" series at the Paramount in Huntington, Long Island. Visit www.starboxing.com for ticket information.
Terrance, who’s 31 and fights out of Quebec, returns to Huntington where he battled to a split points draw with another Irish fighter -- John McDonagh, the nephew of former professional heavyweight Seamus McDonagh – in a four rounder last May.
For Burke, ending a 17-month layoff against an opponent of Terrance’s stock seems ideal.
“He's a tough kid, very tough,” Burke noted. “So I think for me [I’ll have] to fight with my brain not my heart. It’s simple as that. His record doesn't look good, it's 1-1-2 [win-loss-draw]. So you think, oh, he's a pushover or something. But no, he could arguably be 3-1 and he comes to fight.
“I like his punches, I like how he fights. But it's a fight I should win. If I can't beat him I have no business doing what I plan on doing next year. I have a lot of respect for how he fights, but I gotta just fight with my brain and I'll get it done right. He’s a good guy to get back in there [with]. But you know he's gonna test me and I'm looking forward to that challenge.”
At 6-feet-1, Burke is a big super middleweight. He'll have a seven-inch height advantage over his man, to boot. Then there’s the huge disparity in punching power.
“I believe punching power is genetic, I think you either have it or you don't and you I knew from an early age that I had it,” said Burke, who can crack with either hand. “I think every punch I throw has good power behind it. It sounds like an arrogant statement, but most people when they throw a jab, their jab is kind of measuring range or its trying to get a point, but my jab is almost as hard as my right hand.”
Trainer Ryan O’Leary of New Rochelle’s Champs Boxing Club has worked with Burke since he was a youngster. He raves at his potential.
“Harley is a special fighter. He truly is,” said the trainer of more than three decades. “He has talent like I haven't seen in years --- his accuracy, his punch selection, his power, his defensive [skills]. I tell you if he was just a bit more active I truly think that he could have gotten a title shot by now.”
