BOXING: Two serious fighters stepped off the scales at Dublin's Burlington Hotel yesterday with barely four ounces separating them.
For Dublin's Bernard Dunne the intensity and importance of tonight's meeting in the Point Depot with Esham Pickering for the vacant European superbantamweight title could barely be disguised by the respectful handshake he offered his English opponent. Pickering warily accepted Dunne's gesture but in his eyes he matched the Irish fighter's fierce glare.
Two careers hinge on what happens tonight in front of 7,000 fans, almost all of them rooting for the Dubliner.
As Pickering's trainer, Brendan Ingle, observed, "This fight is going to sort out everything. Whoever wins takes a step forward. Whoever loses takes a step back. It's going to be a cracking fight. It's 50/50. It's a world-title eliminator. Don't blink."
Ingle is right, and he would have heard Dunne's manager, Brian Peters, reel off the big names that have fought in Dublin and failed to draw as much interest, Lennox Lewis, Wayne McCullough, Steve Collins and Naseem Hamed included. None of them came close to selling out.
It will be by far the biggest crowd either fighter will have experienced. The National Stadium served Dunne well when he was building a name, but it holds 5,000 fewer than the Point. Such has been the rise in popularity of the Neilstown boxer, who has a clause in the contract that guarantees him a rematch if he loses.
The difficulty in calling the fight rests in the fact Dunne has never faced an opponent with a pedigree like Pickering, who held the European title for almost two years before losing to Michael Hunter on points. The decision still causes Pickering to bristle.
"I still feel I won that fight and it's held up my career," said the 30-year-old. "I wanted a rematch but Hunter's gone in another direction. Now I have a chance to get back to where I want to be by beating Bernard. This fight will be my making."
The unflinching claim from both camps is that their man will win. The bookies have Dunne favourite despite Pickering pointing out the Irishman is new to this level. Other questions hang around Dunne's ability to defend when he comes under sustained pressure, again something he has not had to do much in his 21 undefeated fights to date.
What Dunne has in spades is ability. Few fail to be instantly impressed by his natural talent, movement and percussive hitting. He may weigh under nine stone but he has floored several opponents with crippling body punches.
"I see this as the next fight of my career before a go for a world title fight," said Dunne. "I don't need to talk myself up. I'll do it in the ring. I'm just going to win.
"Esham is at a stage in his career now where he has to put up or shut up and for me it's time to launch myself onto a new path. I see this as the next logical step in my career, my opportunity, and I'm going to take it."
It is a 12-round bout and will be televised live on Network 2 from 10.30pm. Both fighters know a win will launch Dunne into a different league. This superbantamweight is fighting for a lot more than just a belt.
