Fight of the Year? Bernard Dunne Defeats Ricardo Cordoba

Irishman Bernard Dunne became the WBA Super Bantamweight champion last Saturday by knocking out Panama's Ricardo Cordoba in one of the greatest fights ever held on Irish soil.

In what can only be described as an explosive battle of will and skill, Dunne (28-1) knocked down Cordoba (34-2-2) in the third round, with the Dubliner succumbing to the canvas himself twice in the fifth.

The contest was finally halted in Round 11 by referee Hubert Earle, when Dunne floored Cordoba three times, sending the 24-year-old out on a stretcher and handing Ireland its first world title belt in 13 years.

"This is a fight that will long be remembered," chimed commentator Jimmy Magee, each word uttered without an ounce of hyperbole.

Cordoba, who was favoured to win the fight, recovered in the hospital but was released two days later, suffering only from exhaustion and dehydration.

An exultant Dunne announced afterwards, "This is for all of us," as crowds celebrated a doubly fine day for Irish sport—the Irish rugby team winning their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 61 years that very evening.

Few believed Dunne could overcome the champion, particularly after his devastating first round loss to Spaniard Kiko Martinez in 2007. But since his promoter Brian Peters—rumoured to have pumped millions of Euro into this bout—announced the world title challenge in the new year, the Dubliner insisted he would capture the belt.

"It was a lot of hard work, by me, my team and my family. A lot of sacrifices went into getting this title but they’ve all paid off,” the 29-year-old told the press afterwards.

Working with trainer Harry Hawkins and, perhaps most notably, conditioning expert Mike McGurn, Dunne looked to have transformed himself into a world class fighter on Saturday night. If the talent that Freddie Roach had discerned years earlier had always been there, it was now refined into something ferocious.

The pace was set well by the Panamanian champion from the opening bell, with Dunne taking his time to accustom himself to the awkward southpaw. But in what was to be a trademark of the fight, the Dubliner ended the round with a swift combination led by crisp left hooks.

The second opened in much the same way, with Cordoba whipping out a sharp defensive jab and weighty rights. But Dunne kept a tight defense, his left kept high, opening the champion up with accurate three- and four-punch combinations.

Three saw Cordoba mounting pressure on the Dubliner, pushing Dunne back onto the ropes. But in an impressive display of counter-punching, he used his deadly left hook to send the champion stumbling the width of the ring, before coming down hard on the canvas.

The Panamanian, however, displayed a tenacity that would serve him well throughout the 11 long rounds, weathering Dunne's assaults with his long jab.

Using his break effectively, Cordoba opened up a deep gash over Dunne's right eye with a clash of heads in the fourth.

In the fifth, the champion regained the upper hand by sending Dunne crashing down twice within short succession. Dunne's vision was clearly blurred and his legs shaken, but he exhibited his experience by holding on well.

Matching the great reserve displayed earlier by his opponent, Dunne recovered admirably between the rounds and gradually reasserted himself throughout the sixth and seventh.

Eight and nine saw Cordoba upping the pressure, but Dunne fought well on the back foot, both fighters openly warring as the intensity of the feud rose to boiling point.

Round 10 served merely to further mount the tension, the fighters trading power punches over every inch of the ring. Every time the Panamanian pinned Dunne to the ropes, body shots raining in, the Irishman would weave and unload with his ferocious left hooks.

Round 11 roared forward, both men now visibly exhausted but battling onwards, until, with a mere minute to go, a right sent the champion crashing to the canvas.

The stadium erupted, but Dunne, knowing the deed was not yet complete, calmly faced his rising opponent.

It would take a left hook to send him down the second time. Rising perhaps too quickly but with great bravery, Cordoba was backed onto the ropes and collapsed under a devastating left-right combination for the third and final time.

With only a second remaining in the round, the referee waved his arms and the crowd of 9,000 strong, all of them standing, were swept up into a sea of elation.

Bernard Dunne, new champion of the world, collapsed onto the canvas before being picked up into the arms of Brian Peters. The manager embraced his champion.

“It’s been an incredible ride to get here," Dunne explained afterwards.

"It’s been a long road, the eight years I’ve been pro, the ten years as an amateur. I’ve been in boxing since I was five years old!"

Fight of the year? For Bernard, his team, his family, and his country people, it certainly was.