By: Peter Czymbor
The John Duddy – Charles Howe middleweight fight will be available via tape delay internet broadcast Monday, June 30, here at
www.boxingherald.com. The Boxing Herald's Peter Czymbor and Dan Horgan will call the fight. '
Ireland's John Duddy (24-0, 17 KO's) is set to step into the ring this Saturday in Boston for the first time since his 12 round decision victory over Walid Smitchet on the Wladimir Klitschko-Sultan Ibragimov undercard in February.
Despite walking away from that bout with his undefeated record still intact, Duddy describes that bout as "a step backwards". He'll look to rebound this Saturday night.
Heading into that fight, there was discussion that Duddy would be next in line for a shot at world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in early June. That opportunity eventually went to Wales native Gary Lockett, who was KO'd within four rounds.
In the fight with Smitchet, Duddy was cut above and below the eyes, requiring numerous stitches that put the early June date with Pavlik off for the time being. Aside from getting cut in the bout, Duddy was rocked with several clean punches at times by the unheralded Smitchet, including being hit with 52 out of 108 thrown punches in a near disastrous first round.
Duddy has displayed a solid chin in all of his fights and has never hit the canvas despite being knocked unsteady a few times against Smitchet, but many observers wondered what would happen should Duddy eat punches like that against the big punching Pavlik.
"Everybody's been commenting on my defense from the first day, ya know?" said Duddy. "It's about time they got it right for one fight. At the end of the day I may be able to get hurt, but at least I can take it and hopefully I can work on not getting hit as much in the future."
Working with Duddy to improve his game for this bout is Pat Burns, a trainer with championship experience. He guided Jermain Taylor to the middleweight crown, including his two victories over Bernard Hopkins.
Despite the rocky victory over the journeyman Walid Smitchet, Duddy has beaten some world class fighters more convincingly. In 2007, he defeated former world championship challenger Howard Eastman, and in 2006, he won a 12 round war over former junior middleweight titleholder Yory Boy Campas in a candidate for fight of the year.
While Duddy's goal is ultimately to win the world middleweight championship, a title held currently by a fighter from Ohio, it will be another middleweight from the buckeye state in the opposite corner of him this Saturday: Charles Howe (17-4, 9 KO's).
A look down Howe's record will show two recognizable names to most boxing fans, both from "The Contender" series: middleweight Joey Gilbert and junior middleweight Cornelius "K9" Bundrage. He lost to Bundrage via split decision in his home state of Ohio in 1999 and was TKO'd in 1 round by Joey Gilbert in his last fight in 2007. Going into that fight, he was on a 13 fight unbeaten streak and had not lost since the previously mentioned "K9" fight 8 years earlier
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In a year that has produced multiple upsets, including Duddy's fellow Irish countryman Andy Lee being shockingly KO'd by Brian Vera in March, Howe will hope to continue the trend. Duddy will hope to erase the memories of his last outing and move towards a world title shot down the road.
Saturday night's fight figures to be wildly entertaining, and I can't wait to be there calling the action.
