Emmet Brennan went into his fifth prize-fight expecting a war. He got one against seasoned Argentine Victor Hugo Exner at the Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City, Queens, last Friday and triumphed.
The 33-year-old former Irish Olympian, who is being fast-tracked on account of his age, earned a unanimous points decision after six competitive rounds with the more experienced Exner. Brennan improved to 5-0 [1 KO] while the South American dropped to 11-18-3 [5 KOs].
Led into the ring at the packed Ballroom by bag pipers Sean Dineen and Kevin Sears of the County Cork Pipes and Drums band, Brennan set the tempo for the fast paced scrap from the first bell. There was a chorus of ole, oles from the sizeable Irish turnout as the Dubliner dominated the early exchange of leather with thudding shots.
But like he’d do all night in the light heavyweight bout, the resilient Exner would absorb Brennan’s best punches and fight back. He landed several right hands in the opening stanza in retaliation.
The challenge for the Argentine was that while he did his best fighting at close quarters, Brennan was consistently connecting with the more dramatic punches to the head.
That was pretty much the pattern of the contest. Brennan boxing well from the outside and landing the cleaner blows and Exner relentlessly working hard on the inside, and for a couple of rounds keeping the crowd favorite on the backfoot.
It made for an action-packed affair with both men landing punches, albeit there’d be no knockdowns.
Brennan seemingly found a second wind in the sixth and final stanza, taking the upper hand and landing more telling shots. His strong finish put the icing on a hard earned result.
With big fights planned for him in 2025, the win over the tried and tested Exner keeps Brennan on the right track.
He hopes to add to the Boxing Union of Ireland [BUI] Celtic super middleweight and light heavyweight titles that he holds.
