WHEN Barry McGuigan came to the RDS in Dublin to defend his world feather weight title in 1986, those of us detailed to cover the bout had to start poring through dusty files to find out when the minds of the Irish boxing public had last been exercised by such an event.
Now such events are almost commonplace. Dave McAuley, Steve Collins, Eamonn Loughran and Wayne McCullough have won and defended titles on Irish soil.
Tonight McCullough defends his world title in Dublin when he puts his World Boxing Council bantamweight belt on the line against Jose Luis Bueno from Mexico a former world title holder at super flyweight.
With both boxers known for their all action style, the crowd at The Point can be assured of lively action. Sadly, when McCullough defended his title at home in Belfast last December, his Danish opponent, Johnny Bredahl, tried to back pedal his way out of trouble. The result was a one sided contest, which the referee stopped in the eighth round with Bredahl making unconvincing noises that he still had a chance of winning it.
McCullough headed back to Las Vegas, where he lives with his wife Cheryl, and made up his mind that the public wanted more action. As a result, his manager Mat Tinley, an American television executive, set about putting on fights for McCullough which would appeal to the paying public and television viewers. Tonight's bout and another in Las Vegas in June are designed to make McCullough a hot television property.
That is one of the main reasons why tonight's fight is so important for McCullough. The American public does not pay much attention to fighters in the lower weights, and exposure for McCullough against worthy opponents is vital.
This strategy also has its dangers. Fast punching fighters from south of the Rio Grande have ended the hopes of many promising boxers. This week in Dublin Jose Luis Bueno was talking up a storm, albeit in Spanish, in regard to how he intended to relieve McCullough of the title.
He seemed genuinely miffed that at a recent press conference in Las Vegas he and John Michael Jackson were portrayed, in his mind at least, as mere fodder for McCullough. "He should not have disrespected me like that," said Bueno, adding ominously words to the effect that McCullough would pay a heavy price for this slight, intentional or otherwise.
Bueno's handlers were in turn rather dismissive of McCullough's victory over Victor Rabanales in Atlantic City in June of 1994. That fight was a bitterly fought affair, with McCullough getting a somewhat controversial points decision.
Its importance far McCullough cannot be underestimated, for it was instrumental in getting him the world challenge in which he the title in Japan a year later.
That victory was unexpected by everyone, with the exception of those close to McCullough. He took on the local hero and world champion, Yasuei Yakushiji, and beat him clearly on points in spite of a minority decision against him by a Korean judge.
Taking that fight was a gamble for McCullough. Even so, his victory, while widely acclaimed in Ireland, as might be expected, did not ruffle any feathers in the US, where he is still virtually unknown. That is why tonight's bout is crucial and probably why McCullough was being a little uncharacteristically tetchy recently at a press conference in the Guinness Brewery, which is sponsoring the fight, when he refused point blank to even approach Bueno directly or have a photograph taken together.
Bueno merely shrugged his shoulders, accepting it as an indication of growing nervousness in McCullough's approach. But all of that will be put aside when they approach the ring at about 10.0pm.
For Bueno this is a golden opportunity for McCullough a risk worth taking. While defeat would not mean the end of the world for McCullough, it would be a significant setback.
When McCullough's mentor, the veteran Eddie Futch, speaks about the young Belfast man, he becomes animated. He says that in his 70 years in boxing (he is approaching his 85th birthday). He has never come across anyone who is so dedicated to training. "He is first to the gym and last out. Sometimes I have to slow him down," he says.
The respective records would appear to give McCullough the advantage in results, while Bueno has more experience without the same level of achievement. In the ring, many things can happen.
But it will be a huge surprise if McCullough doesn't win convincingly.
