TIPPERARY HURLING STARS Lar Corbett and Eoin Kelly are jetting out to New York next week to support Matthew Macklin as he prepares for his upcoming world title fight.
The Premier pair will join Macklin at an open media workout next Wednesday ahead of his big fight against middleweight champion Sergio Martinez on St Patrick’s Day.
The high-profile trip comes just weeks after Corbett announced his decision to quit hurling, citing work and business commitments as the reason behind his sudden decision to hang up his boots.
Born in Birmingham, Macklin moved to his mother’s native Tipperary at a young age and was involved with the county’s underage hurling teams, where he became close friends with Kelly.
A statement from DiBella Entertainment, the fight’s promoters, said that the hurlers are travelling “to observe Macklin in training and hope to bring ‘the luck of the Irish’ with them across the pond.”
With Kelly’s Munster knocked out of the M Donnelly Interprovincial Series last week and Tipp not back in league action until 11 March, the two are expected to spend a few days in New York before flying home.
A DiBella spokesperson could not confirm if either Kelly or Corbett will be present in New York for the fight on 17 March.
