Boxing fans in for a treat this month, with the 3Arena in Dublin scheduled to host two blockbuster clashes on September 20.
Republic of Ireland star Callum Walsh returns to his homeland to take on Przemyslaw Runowski while Ali Akhmedov faces Hubert Dibombe. UFC FIGHT PASS will broadcast the bouts.
Walsh vs Runowski
Walsh returns to his homeland after years of fighting out of California and will co-headline the 10-round show. The 23-year-old is a crucial reason the UFC is interested in the match.
He has garnered a large following from UFC fans, which is uncommon considering the usual friction between the boxing and mixed martial arts camps.
However, UFC chairman Dana White has been promoting the young Irishman. White will likely be there in person to watch the super welterweight contest.
Trained by the legendary Freddie Roach and managed by Tom Loeffler, who played a role in the careers of Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko, the sky is the limit for Walsh.
Undefeated in his first 11 professional bouts, the Irish fighter is eager to extend that record and is the bookmakers’ favourite to get the job done on home soil.
Sports betting sites in Ireland will be inundated with wagers from locals backing one of their own to make the nation proud.
Irish punters will also be tempted to bet on him to end the fight early, having won eight of his bouts by knockout. He finished Carlos Ortiz in the second round of his last fight.
However, he is up against a seasoned veteran. Runowski (22-2-1) is as steely as they come, having never been finished in the ring. He has closed six of his 22 wins with a knockout.
Runowski heads into the bout on the back of two successive wins against Benjamin Lamptey and Juan Ruiz, putting his 2021 loss to Michael McKinson behind him.
This sets up a mouthwatering clash that should deliver fireworks, with Walsh desperate not to disappoint his Irish fans and Runowski looking to upset the odds.
Akhmedov vs Dibombe
Kazakhstan bruiser Akhmedov (21-1-0) will be eager to continue his demolition streak against Dibombe at the 3Arena in a 10-round super middleweight clash.
Akhmedov has dispatched all five opponents he has faced since his unfortunate loss to Carlos Gongora in 2020. His latest victim was Encarnacion Diaz, who failed to meet the count after being knocked down for the third time.
Akhmedov used his height and reach advantage well. He cut off Diaz’s angles and kept him at bay with measured jabs, sneaking a non-telegraphed straight right to dizzy his opponent.
Nantes-native Dibombe is eager to bounce back from his technical loss to Bektemir Melikuziev on the Devin Haney versus Ryan Garcia fight card earlier this year.
The pair clashed heads, but the Frenchman came off worse with a nasty cut that ended the fight. Before that match-up, he had not lost in his 23 professional fights, winning 22.
Akhmedov is the overwhelming favourite with the bookies to win this fight following his recent impressive outings. He has the height, reach and speed advantage over Dibombe.
The Frenchman must close the distance in the ring, which may prove difficult. If he gets overexcited, he could walk into devastating jabs or a loaded straight right hand.
Dibombe must pick his moments to attack and avoid being a sitting duck for Akhmedov. He has proved he can handle bigger opponents, as evidenced against Serhiy Demchenko.
He fought off the ropes against the veteran, retreating into a defensive shell but constantly exploding against his Ukrainian opponent. He was much sharper than Demchenko.
However, Akhmedov is a talented sniper with his jabs and Dibombe needs to employ a brilliant game plan to claim an unlikely victory.
