Following his victory over Ricardo Cordoba for the WBA Super Bantamweight crown on March 21, Bernard Dunne is weighing up his options for his first defence.
A slew of names have already emerged in the weeks following his 11th-round stoppage of the Panamanian, including a unification bout with the former champion's countryman, Celestino Caballero.
The camps of Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez have also shown interest, as has Cordoba's former Thai rival, Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym.
“There are all kinds of avenues open to us now,” Dunne's promoter, Brian Peters, has said. “It’s a case of taking our time and working out what the best move is, but we certainly won’t rush into anything.”
It is unlikely that Dunne will step into the ring again within the next three months, having suffered severe cuts around his eyes during his latest battle. One of the cuts, an injury originally sustained in a 2008 clash with Uruguay's Cristian Faccio, required over 10 stitches.
With the Dubliner not planning a return until June or July, a matchup with WBC super bantamweight emeritus, Israel Vazquez, is a realistic prospect.
“I've had talks with Golden Boy [Vazquez's promoter],” Brian Peters told The Irish Times. “He’s currently sidelined with a few long term injuries, but is considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport.”
“And I’m sure we all wouldn’t mind taking a trip to main street Las Vegas,” the Meath man mused.
Vazquez is hoping to make a return to the ring around the same time as Dunne. He has been recovering from retina surgery since 2008 (following his last bout with Rafael Marquez) and has yet to secure a comeback opponent.
“I’m not sure whom I will be fighting at this moment,” he told fightnews.com in January, “but I’m going to make them pay for this long lay off. I’m hungrier than ever.”
Dunne will know Vazquez well, as the two are former Wild Card Gym sparring partners.
“This is a clash Bernard would relish, as he sparred with Vazquez day in, day out as a young pro when he was out in Los Angeles and I think those sparring sessions proved to a lot of people that Bernard has what it takes to reach the very top of the sport,” Peters said.
The fight would certainly attract the interest of the US networks, with Vazquez and Dunne being able to draw on large Hispanic and Irish audiences.
4 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete