Dubliner Ryan O'Rourke is back States-side for a scheduled six-rounder with Joshua David Rivera at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, this Saturday. The junior welterweight contest is on a Star Boxing card dubbed “Slugfest at the Sun.”
A lanky 5-feet-11 prospect nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” O’Rourke is unbeaten with a 10-0 [3 KO] ledger. In Rivera, aka “Pretty Boy,” he faces an 8-4 [3 KO] opponent who at age 29 is five years his senior.
This will be O'Rourke’s fourth straight fight in the U.S. since April 2022. He won his first seven professional bouts in Europe and has made a great impression since campaigning in America. The run started with an unanimous six round points decision over Faydal Razkallah at the Rivers Casino and Resort, in upstate Schenectady, New York, two years ago.
O'Rourke’s last fight was a seven round stoppage of Dashaun Johns in Huntington, New York, last May.
Tickets to the “Slugfest at the Sun” card start at $40 and are available at www.StarBoxing.com. O’Rourke is promoted by Star Boxing proprietor Joe DeGuardia. O’Rourke is promoted by Star Boxing proprietor Joe DeGuardia.
FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT
Amateur ace Sean O’Bradaigh is banking on his past gym experience with Jeremy “King Kong” Witherspoon to give him the edge over his former training partner in their Ring Masters/Golden Gloves 176-pound Elite Challenge semi-finals this Friday night. They clash at the Classic Car Club Manhattan at 1 Pier 76 on the West Side.
O’Bradaigh, who turns 22 on Thursday, and Witherspoon, of the Freeport PAL, previously sparred and trained together.
“I definitely think that my sparring sessions will help me, hopefully more than it helps him,” O’Bradaigh told the Echo.
Recalling the experience, O’Bradaigh, who’s 6-feet-one said: “He’s about [5-feet-nine] but very stocky. He’s powerful, aggressive and puts a lot of pressure on his opponents. I hope to neutralize that with foot movement, uppercuts when he steps in, and volume punching.”
A unanimous points winner over Kyle McGrath in the quarterfinals two weeks ago, victory on Friday will see O'Bradaigh through to the 176-pound final at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden on April 11.
And that would be against Adrian Frometa in a rematch of their SBC Elite light heavyweight championship match at the Stereo Garden in Patchogue, Long Island, last January. O'Bradaigh dropped a narrow points decision to the veteran Bronxchester BC fighter then.
Now representing NYAC, O’Bradaigh is a highly decorated fighter. In addition to the 2023 Ring Masters/Golden Gloves middleweight crown, he bagged the New York Boxing Tournament Elite light heavyweight title and the New York Metropolitan trophy. He also placed in the top four at the 2023 National Championships and competed in two Olympic trials in the U.S., and one in Ireland.
