Dunne Does It in Decision

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Irish Voice Sport

Dunne Does It in Decision

June 28, 2007

By Cathal Dervan

BERNARD Dunne was made to fight all the way for 12 grueling rounds before finally seeing off Norwegian Biking Raidar Walstad on a unanimous points decision at the Point Theatre in Dublin on Saturday night. Walstad ended up with 10 stitches in a cut above his left eye but refused to bow to Dunne’s superior boxing skills with a display full of heart and effort.

The Dubliner had to dig deep against a rugged and determined opponent and admitted afterwards, “It was a hell of a fight. It was a tough 12 rounds and I needed that. I felt good, I felt a lot better doing 12 the second time around than I did against Esham Pickering, a lot stronger.

“I think I carried my power a lot more than I did then. I felt a lot better doing 12 the second time around, a lot stronger. We’re definitely improving on doing the rounds.

“He was built like a s***house, he’s well made, big chest, big legs, big shoulders and you could see he was in great condition for this fight. He was a lot more aggressive than Pickering, a different style of fighter and that’s probably why there were so many head clashes.

“But I still have things to learn. I know I’m not the finished article.”

Walstad had inflicted a rare defeat on Dunne during their amateur days but has seen an improvement in the Irishman.

“He has improved a lot and is a lot better at keeping his distance. Before, he was a lot more aggressive and always trying to get close to me. He made it difficult for me to get close, especially in the first five or six rounds. After that I managed to get closer and he started to get tired,” said Walstad.

“If it had been a 15-rounder, it would have been different. Bernard was certainly a lot more aggressive than when I beat him as an amateur, but he didn’t hurt me much and he may find it difficult when he moves up to world class. I wish him the best of luck.”

Dunne will face Spanish sensation Kiki Martinez in a mandatory defense of his European title with purse bids set to close in August -– and a danger the fight could be held away from Ireland.

The Point is closed for renovations for the next three months, with Millstreet in Cork and the Odyssey Arena in Belfast likely venues if Brian Peters wins the purse bid.

“Martinez is a very dangerous fighter — this is a fight that will be a defining part of Bernard’s career,” said manager Peters. “Martinez is unbeaten, he has a string of knockouts on his record and Bernard will have to raise his game even more to beat him.

“It’s a fight that if he wins will just confirm him as the best super-bantamweight in Europe and then he can move on from this level. People have to realize that Bernard Dunne is not the finished article, not by a long way.

“I thought he did a very good job against a tough opponent but still has a lot to work on and we still haven’t seen the best of Bernard. Maybe he could have stepped it up a bit and tried to stop the guy but you have to give Walstad credit for standing up to a lot of heavy shots.”

Cork 3 Speak

CORK’S Semplegate three have apologized for their part in the fracas before the Clare match in the Munster Championship last month and attacked the media for an anti-Cork bias.

Donal Og Cusack, Sean Og O hAilpin and Diarmuid O’Sullivan were all suspended by the GAA -– along with four Clare players -– for the pre-match clashes as the teams emerged from the tunnel simultaneously in Thurles.

A statement from the three Cork players was released to the Examiner newspaper when they said, “This apology is sincerely given and we regret we were in any way involved in an incident of this nature.

“We believe our respective records over 10 seasons each as inter-county players say far more about our discipline, that any statement we can now make, but we would not wish ever to be in this position again.

“We accept we should not have been involved at all. However, it is difficult to resist the urge to defend yourself or your teammates, especially when there seems to be no one in charge.

“We are very concerned at the way this matter has been handled by the GAA. We think it is extremely unfair that in response to media-led demands, and whether by way of recommendation, decision or otherwise, there can be a public ‘finding’ of guilt against any player before he is even asked about the incident, let alone asked whether he accepts blame or the sanction flowing from it.

“We believe there has been a general anti-Cork bias displayed in this matter and a bias against GPA so well illustrated by the comments of GAA presidential hopeful Sean Fogarty of Tipperary in a cheap electioneering stunt and a bias against our county secretary Frank Murphy.

“We do not endorse the findings or procedures used in the new disciplinary system and we find it absolutely extraordinary that the president of the Association would implicitly attack us and our county board for staying within the GAA in an effort to defend ourselves, and for using those very procedures set up to discourage players from going to the courts.

“It seems that as far as some commentators are concerned we are not only guilty of being thugs, we are morally reprehensible for trying to say that we are not thugs, whether under the current system or otherwise.”

Lennon at Forest

NEW Nottingham Forest player-coach Neil Lennon has revealed his upset when he was substituted by Gordon Strachan 20 minutes from the end of the Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline -– his final game for the club.

Lennon told the Daily Record, “I must admit I was disappointed with the substitution. I would be lying if I said anything else. The match was on the screen in the dressingroom so I decided to sit and watch it for a few minutes, just while I cooled down a bit.

“It wasn’t as if I was raging, or running about the dressing room kicking things around. I was just sad. Gutted in fact. I was just trying to work out why he did it.

“I just couldn’t understand his decision. It wasn’t anything to do with the fact this was my last game. All I wanted was to win the cup and go out with a double and I simply didn’t understand why it was my number that came up.

“I’ve heard people say it looked like a spiteful decision but I don’t agree with that for a minute. I don’t think Gordon is like that.”

Celtic have completed the signing of AC Milan midfielder Massimo Donati in a deal worth £3 million, with the player committed to spending the next four years at Parkhead.

Strachan is also looking at Sampdoria midfielder Gennaro Delvecchio.

Soccer Shorts

READING boss Steve Coppell has rejected Stephen Hunt’s call for a new improved contract and warned the Irish winger not to get greedy. “We can’t continually give players new contracts. We’d be doing 20 of them every year,” Coppell told the Reading Chronicle . . .

IRELAND defender Richard Dunne has committed his long term future to Manchester City as the club prepares for the arrival of Sven Goran Eriksson as manager. “I don’t see the point of moving just to put a few extra noughts on my bank account,” said Dunne. “We all earn enough money here, and I don’t want to upset my personal or professional life. I feel like I’m playing really good football.” . . .

THE FAI are in discussions to enter the Irish soccer team into a new biennial Celtic Cup featuring Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and scheduled to kick-off in 2009 . . .

IRELAND international winger Alan O’Brien has agreed a move to Scottish side Hibernian after rejecting a new deal at Newcastle United . . .

CORK City scored an impressive 2-0 win away to Icelandic side Valur in the Inter-Toto Cup on Saturday night . . .

IRELAND’S European qualifier in Slovakia on September 8 will kick-off at 7:30 p.m. Irish time.

Boxing Medals

CAPTAIN Ken Egan led by example as Ireland dominated the medals table on the final day of action at the fifth European Union Championships in Dublin’s National Stadium on Saturday.

Egan, like Irish pro hero Bernard Dunne, is from the Neilstown club in West Dublin and led Ireland to three golds and two silvers on the last day.

The seven time national light heavyweight champion finished off a great afternoon for his team-mates en route to gold as he out maneuvered Romania’s Constantin Bejenaru from start to finish to win 23-17.

Roy Sheehan from the St. Michael’s club in Athy was the first home fighter up to the golden plate when French opponent Xavier Noel was forced to retire with a cut in the fourth round with the bout level at 10 points apiece.

Darren Sutherland landed the second gold of the afternoon for the home side when the St. Saviors middleweight from Dublin beat England’s James Degale 23-19 in their final.

Egan followed suit on an historical day that also saw Belfast base duo Carl Frampton and Cathal McMonagle take silver.

Frampton took some comfort from his featherweight final defeat to Khdeafi Djelkhirn when the Frenchman was named fighter of the tournament.

McMonagle, fighting out of the Holy Trinity club in Belfast but originally from Donegal, lost 20-8 to world number one Roberto Cammarelle from Italy.

Rugby Update

IRELAND’S three Heineken Cup representatives face difficult tasks in the group stages of next season’s tournament with Munster thrown in against reigning champions Wasps, Clermont Auvergne and the Llanelli Scarlets.

Leinster have been drawn in Pool 6 alongside Leicester Tigers, Toulouse and Edinburgh while Ulster will face Ospreys, Gloucester and Bourgoin.

It has also announced that the final will be played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on the weekend of May 24-25.

Meanwhile, Munster have appointed South African full-back Shaun Payne as their new team manager, while New Zealand Maori captain Rua Tipoki, the 31-year-old centre, is poised to sign for the province.

The Reds have also confirmed that Thomond Park, set to be renamed in a controversial sponsorship deal, will be open after rebuilding for the start of the Heineken Cup campaign in November.

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