‘The Buncrana Banger’ John Hutchinson will again face Belfast’s Gerard ‘Boom Boom’ Healy in a rerun of their thrilling encounter last year at the Odyssey Arena.
This time the pair meet in Healy’s ‘backyard’ at the Devenish Complex, Belfast on Saturday, April 6th and Hutchinson is eager to put an end of online feud that erupted after their first meeting, with both sets of fans arguing that ‘their man’ was the rightful victor.
Hutchinson’s first year in the pro ranks has got off to a flying start and the 26-year-old Donegal fighter’s confidence was buoyed further after earning the first knockout win of his career when he flattened Lithuanian tough-nut Mantas Bakstinas inside a single round at Birmingham’s HMV Institute in February which earned rave reviews from in the British boxing press.
That win brought the young prospect’s perfect record to three victories from three fights, but there have been lingering demands from Healy’s Gleann Gym camp for a rematch with the West Belfast slugger because they felt they were hard done-by on the judge’s scorecard after their original encounter on Heavyweight Tyson Fury’s bill in December.
“We were planning on fighting a routine four round fight on the same bill versus a lesser opponent than Healy just to keep John ticking over for a bigger fight later on in the year, but then I got a call from Chris Graham at Emerald Promotions asking if we would grant Healy a rematch instead, this time over six rounds.,” explained manager Leonard Gunning.
“It’s a really tough fight, the first encounter was a bruising battle that had the fans on the edge of their seats so I needed some time to think about if we had enough time to prepare correctly for a fight of this nature. I spoke to Hutchy’s experienced trainer John Breen and we agreed that we should roll the dice and take the fight. It’s an opportunity for John to show just how much he has improved, even over the last six months, so I just hope his supporters in Donegal come and back him because he will need their encouragement as he travels to Healy’s home turf in Belfast.
Hutchinson has little doubt he was well worth the win in their initial battle and is confident that not only will there be a repeat of the original result but that the manner of the victory will more decisive in the long awaited rematch.
“Gerard put in a great performance in the first fight and it was a hard hard nights work for us both. But I was the busier boxer and I was beating him to the punch every time. I got drawn into a scrap that night and let the occasion and my emotions of fighting in a big arena like that get to me,” said Hutchinson.
“It was a true old fashioned toe-to-toe fight and all-action, but I enjoyed it, I enjoy those types of fights, probably more than I should and so do the fans but I enjoyed the result even more. The scorecards gave it to me by a very wide margin, but that doesn’t tell the full tale of the fight.
“Gerard and I are friends outside of the ring, he is a genuine warrior and that increases my respect for him. Some of his team weren’t happy with the result and thought he won it, and some of his fans pretty vocal in expressing their thoughts on the result as well, it even turned into a bit of a slanging match on the internet over it. It just shows how passionate his fans are and it’s great to have support like that. They have been screaming for a rematch since the last fight and if they want it that bad then I am happy to give them what they want but the result will still be the same,” explained the former Illies Golden Gloves slugger.
The ‘Emerald Gems’ bill features a host of host of Ireland’s top up and coming prospects including Irish champion Anthony Cacace and unbeaten prospects like Philip Sutcliffe Jnr, Ray Ginley, Dee Walsh and Tyrone McKenna with the likes of Eddie Nesbitt and Joe Hillerby adding more quality to the show.
Tickets for John’s bout at the Devenish Complex, North Finaghy Road, Belfast on Saturday, April 6th are £30 and available in Derry from the Love Hot Yoga Studio in Springtown Industrial Estate or in Buncrana at O’Flaherty’s Bar. Alternatively you can call 087 122 0660 in the south or 079 85 646 187 in the north or visit www.boxing-ireland.com.