At age 33, and with only four bouts in the paid ranks, Emmet Brennan understands that time is of the essence and hence the need to take risks by challenging more experienced fighters. That’s the thinking as the undefeated Dubliner squares off with Victor Hugo Exner, a tried and tested veteran of 31 fights [11-17-3, 5 KOs] at the Melrose Ballroom, in Long Island City, Queens, this Friday.
They square off in a scheduled eight-rounder at a catchweight of 170 pounds.
“His last four opponents were 17-4, 6-1-1, 33-2, and 13-0,” said Brennan, noting the quality of fighters Exner has faced lately. “So not a lot of people take on [opponents] like this early in their career. We’re doing things a little bit different. I am also 33, so I have to do things a little bit different, I'm not a young guy, I gotta take chances.”
Sizing up Exner, Brennan, a 2020 Olympian, said: “He's gutsy, he comes to win and he puts on a fight. If you look at most of his fights on YouTube, he’s coming forward all the time, so for the people that are to watch the fight, it's gonna be a great spectacle. It’s gonna be a war.
“He's technically not bad. Obviously, he has 17 defeats, so he's there to be hit [but] I'm not going to be taking him lightly, because for me there are some big fights down the road for me in 2025, so I can't take this fellow lightly. I gotta go out there and earn the win.
“My plan is to get him out of there. Whether that happens or not, if I win on points I'll be happy.”
Brennan’s last fight was a split points decision over Kevin Cronin at the 3Arena in Dublin last September for the vacant Boxing Union of Ireland [BUI] Celtic super middle title. Brennan also holds the BUI light heavyweight belt.This will be his second fight States-side. The first was a gutsy eight-round majority points decision over Devaun Lee at the Sony Hall in Manhattan last March.
Brennan vs. Exner is on a combined professional-amateur show presented by Prime Time Promotions. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the first bout starts at approximately 6 p.m. The Melrose Ballroom is located at 3608 33rd Street Long Island City, NY 11106.
Tickets are available on Instagram @emmetbrennan; and from the following establishments: the Wolfhound Bar [Astoria], the Wild Goose Bar [Woodside], Dave Lacey at the Layla Bar [Brooklyn] and Joe Byrne at Jack Diamond’s [Manhattan].
KID’S NYC-DEBUT
World-ranked middleweight Connor “The Kid” Coyle is headed to New York city for his long awaited Big Apple debut on Feb. 14.
“I'm back in camp now in Florida training for something big in New York, Feb. 14. More details will be announced in the coming weeks,” said the Derryman. “This will be a big fight and a great venue and we're looking forward to being able to announce it.”
A pro since 2016, the unbeaten Coyle [21-0, 9 KOs] has fought 16 times around the U.S. but never in New York.
He’s ranked #3 by the World Boxing Association and is in line for a title shot at WBA champion Erislandy Lara [31-3-3]. Coyle also holds the North American Boxing Association middleweight belt.
