“Fearless” Feargal McCrory’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend fight with Mexican Carlos Carlson at The Theater at Madison Square Garden is now a 10-rounder for the WBA continental Americas super featherweight title.
The bout is the co-feature on the Tom Loeffler 360 Promotions March 15 show that includes “King” Callum Walsh’s super welterweight clash with hard-hitting Kazak veteran Dauren Yeleussinov [11-3-1, 10 KOs] for the WBC Americas and Continental strap. Walsh [9-0, 7 KOs] holds the WBC US Silver 154-pound belt.
Also on the card is Westmeath prospect Joe Ward [10-1, 6 KOs] in a light heavyweight scrap with the seasoned Derrick Webster [29-4-1, 14 KOs], a Glassboro, New Jersey, resident with extensive experience as a sparring partner for some of prizefighting’s recent stars.
Out of Tyrone, the undefeated McCrory [15-0, 7 KOs] declared himself in top shape after a weeks-long camp in New York.
“I'm very happy where I'm at physically and mentally, and I'm in a very good place,” he told the Echo last weekend. “We’ve put in a lot of work and as always -- we're ready to go.”
Preparations under trainer Colin “Pops” Morgan at the Fight Club gym in lower Manhattan have included sparring with heavier fighters.
“We’ve been sparring a few guys that are bigger than me -- very physical, yeah, but we’re very excited. It’s hard work, obviously, but we feel that we are ready for the challenge that lies ahead,” McCrory noted.
Asked if he’d studied any tapes of Carlson [25-7, 16 KOs], a Tijuana, Baja, native who’s coming off a two-year layoff, McCrory replied with a chuckle: ”I’m not telling you what we learned. But we’ve prepared for the best version of him.”
He won’t be short of motivation either with some 160 family and friends from Ireland and the UK expected to descend on Madison Square Garden for the fisticuffs. Scores of others will fly in from across the United States.
“There’s so many [other] people here in America making the trip from Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia -- people coming from Baltimore, Florida, and then, obviously, New York,” noted McCrory. “I'm so lucky, so blessed that I can't even explain.
This will be McCrory’s second consecutive fight at the Garden. He emerged victorious last November from a rough and tumble six-rounder with Russian-born Brooklyn resident Nikolai Buzolin.
INTERNATIONAL
BATTLE OF THE BADGES
On March 14 at the Garden, Bobby McGuire’s FDNY boxing team takes on a select side of fire fighters and police from England and across the U.S. at the Theater in the 2024 International Battle of the Badges.
“The FDNY Bravest Boxing Team will square off against fighters from police and fire departments from Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Yonkers and West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom for a charity match supporting the Tunnel to Towers Foundation,” said McGuire, the FDNY team president.
“I am privileged to represent the FDNY and to raise money for a great cause,” said light heavyweight Danny Quinn, one of the Irish members of the FDNY side. “I can’t wait to deliver an unforgettable performance for the crowd at Madison Square Garden on March 14.”
From Rockaway Beach, Queens, Quinn faces the NYPD’s Jessie Peterford in a rematch of last year's Battle of the Badges the fire fighter won on a close points decision.
“There’s no love lost between these two as they started talking trash to each other before getting out of the ring last year,” said McGuire, who has Roscommon roots.
FDNY also boast of another outstanding light heavyweight in Staten Island’s Sean Dillon. “He is undefeated and is also in the semi-finals of the Ring Masters Tournament,” observed McGuire.
“He is fighting George Dobbins from West Yorkshire, England -- a very skillful and accomplished boxer with a 9-0 record who headlined the UK version of the Battle of the Badges at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, England. He asked to be put up against our best in order to secure a fight on the card.”
Shane Dorgan, a 6-foot-three 19-year-old unattached boxer from Bayridge, Brooklyn, is the third top Irish prospect in the FDNY team. “He has been training with us for a couple of years. His dad owns the famous Wicked Monk Pub in Bayridge and has sold over 100 tickets for the event,” said McGuire.
The complete Battle of the Badges card [FDNY boxers first] is: Bantamweight - Aaliyah Abrahams FDNY – MTA vs. Lisa Pearson West Yorkshire FD; welterweight - Julian Gonzalez FDNY EMT ST. 17 vs. Faisal Khan West Yorkshire FD; middleweights - Ernesto Pagan FDNY Eng. Co 72. vs. Timothy Cone Atlanta PD; and Nick Mertens Chicago FD vs. Mike Damiani NYC MTA PD.
Light heavyweights - Prince Jacobs FDNY EMT Dispatch vs. Gavin Connor Denver PD; Chris Palodino Yonkers FD vs. Chris Mayer Atlanta PD; Dmitri Vystoropski FDNY Eng. Co. 62 vs. Preston Brooks Atlanta FD; James Gennari FDNY Lad Co. 24 vs. Rich Fella West Yorkshire FD; Danny Quinn FDNY Lad Co. 9 vs. Jesse Peterford NYPD 61 Pct.; Sean Dillon FDNY Eng. 283 vs. George Dubbins West Yorkshire FD; and Shane Dorgan Unattached vs. Freddie Almonte Victory Boxing.
Cruiserweight - Phil Rivera Eng Co. 96 vs. Abel Aguilera Denver FD; heavyweight - Vinny Palumbo FDNY Eng. 253. vs. Liam Stables West Yorkshire FD; super heavyweights - Victor Woods FDNY Lad Co. 17 vs. Mitch Sturm Denver FD; and Jeff Davis, Port Arthur, TX. FD vs. Davie Scott Yonkers FD.
