LONDON OLYMPICS SILVER medalist John Joe Nevin will fight alongside his former Irish team-mate Katie Taylor — a gold medalist at those same Games — on a heavily Irish-influenced card in Philadelphia on St Patrick’s weekend, his team has confirmed to The42.
Nevin’s career to date has been blighted by lengthy periods of inactivity; he turned professional two-and-a-half years before Taylor, but has fought once less than the current WBA and IBF women’s lightweight champion.
The Mullingar man remains unbeaten, however, at 11-0 with four knockouts, and cruised to a career-best victory over fellow unbeaten prospect Alex Torres Rynn last March before finishing the year with an eight-round tune-up win over tough Nicaraguan journeyman Reynaldo Cajina.
Two years Taylor’s junior at 30, Nevin is aiming to make a breakthrough in 2019, and March’s appearance on Eddie Hearn and Matchroom’s card could provide him with the necessary springboard. His opponent will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
In world-title action along with Taylor, whose opponent is also undecided as of yet, Finglas’ Jono Carroll is expected to face hometown hero Tevin Farmer in the headline act of what’s set to be another massive night for Irish boxing. Other Irish fighters could yet be added to the bill.
Furthermore, as America goes green that weekend, Donegal’s world-ranked middleweight Jason Quigley will likely defend his NABF (North American) title on the East Coast that same weekend, while Michael Conlan returns to top a bill at The Theater in Madison Square Garden for the third successive year on St Patrick’s Day, the Sunday.
Expected to return to the ring in March, Monaghan welterweight prospect Aaron McKenna could yet feature on the same bill as his Golden Boy stablemate Quigley.
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