Feargal McCrory attempts to realize his lifelong dream of winning a world boxing title when he takes on WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach at the 4,200-capacity Entertainment and Sports Arena in southeast Washington, D.C. this Friday night. The scheduled 12-rounder will be streamed States-side on Probox TV, whose broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET.
Nicknamed “Fearless,” McCrory is a 31-year-old undefeated southpaw [16-0, 8 KOs] going up against a once-beaten champion [24-1-1, 9 KOs], three years his junior. Predictably, he’s the underdog against a man making his first title defense and fighting on home turf for the first time in seven years.
Still, the Tyrone man is undaunted.
“I’m confident people will see the best version of me on fight night and I’m confident that through hard work, dedication and sacrifice I’m in great shape for the fight,” McCrory told the Irish News’ Andy Watters. “I’ve been waiting for a long time for this opportunity to come along and I’m ready to go.”
Fighting out of New York, McCrory added: “I do not want to be remembered as someone who fought for a world title, I want to be remembered as a world champion and I will give everything that I have to deliver that on Friday night.”
And should he pull off the upset and dethrone Roach, McCrory will likely give a heap of credit to trainer Colin “Pops” Morgan of the Fight Club gym in lower Manhattan.
“He’s an unbelievable teacher of boxing and he has completely broadened my horizons and I know that if I hadn’t been working with Colin I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now,” the challenger told the News. “That’s not to knock anyone else I’ve worked with but I’m more mature now, I’m smarter, and I’ve gained a lot of experience.”
Underdog or not, the champion has no illusions on the threat posed by the unbeaten challenger.
“Feargal is tough,” Roach acknowledged to Ring magazine. “We watched him and we know that he’s a guy that likes to fight, he’s a guy that tries to impose his will and doesn’t want to be denied. That’s all the factors that will make for a fan friendly fight.
On his decision to make his first defense against the #12 ranked Irishman, Roach said: “When it boiled down to it, the other guys had already been beaten and were on their way towards the end of their careers. I felt like I didn’t want to fight those guys that were heading out the door because then I would feel like they would have a sense of just to lay down. I’m at home, I want to give the fans something to be on their toes about.”
McCrory is coming off a three-round pummeling of Mexican Carlos Carlson for the WBA Continental Americas super featherweight title at Madison Square Garden last March. That victory elevated him to #12, effectively earning him the world title shot at Roach.
Roach, meanwhile, won the WBA belt in his last fight via a 12-round split points decision over Hector Luis Garcia in Las Vegas last November. His only loss in a 10-year pro career came in 2019 when he was outpointed by then WBO super featherweight titlist Jamel Herring. Two years later, Herring successfully defended the same belt against Carl Frampton via sixth round stoppage in Dubai.
Roach has also held the North American Boxing Association super featherweight title.
