By Chris McNulty at Fantasy Springs, Indio
JASON QUIGLEY WAS in dreamland after collecting the NABF middleweight title last night.
The Donegal man overcame a hand injury, sustained in the second round, to defeat the durable Glen Tapia on points.
Golden Boy prospect Quigley took hold of his first pro strap as he moved to 13-0 after a fight that was all-out war during the middle stanzas.
Quigley, in spite of an unusable right paw, took the decision.
“This is something very hard to believe for a wee man from Donegal,” Quigley said.
“This is the real deal now. This is a significant belt and I’m a very proud man to take this belt back to the hills of Donegal.
“This is a dream for me. This doesn’t feel real.
“I’m just a normal dude who grew up with the dream of becoming a champion.
“It’s unbelievable to be going back to my county as a champion.”
Quigley dominated Tapia in the early stages and even bloodied the Jersey Boy in the first round.
Tapia was in trouble, but Quigley had to hold back when he suffered the injury.
He said: “I hit the hand in the second round and I wasn’t able to use it.
“To go eight rounds of a title fight against a great fighter and beat him with one hand, you’ve got to take that as a positive.
“Dealing with that, not panicking, going the ten rounds and feeling comfortable, taking it one round at a time, that’s the stuff I need.
“These are the kind of fights I need. I’m delighted to go ten rounds in a tough fight.”
There were those who will feel that Quigley still has a lot to answer as he didn’t put Tapia away.
However, Quigley said of that hand injury: “Every time I threw it, I was ready to cry. He’s got a big head and a hard head.”
Even so, Quigley felt in control of his destiny.
The Ballybofey man said: “Everything I hit him with, he was wobbling. I thought it was only a matter of time, but he’s a tough boy. I was tagging him with everything and his eyes were dazed.
“There is a lot to work on. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t a ten out of ten. I’d rate myself six-and-a-half, but I’m here with a belt and a victory. That’s what matters.”
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