Hyland striving to avoid curtain call on his career
By Stephen Leonard
THE FEAR that his next fight against Josh Warrington could prove his last is only fuelling Patrick Hyland’s determination to defy the odds and get the win when the two clash for the WBC International Featherweight title in Leeds on Saturday, July 30.
Having shipped just two losses in 33 professional bouts, Hyland is hoping he’ll take the title and continue to defend it, if not secure a third world title shot.
The two defeats on his record came in world title contests, the first back in 2012 when he lost to Javier Fortuna for the WBA Featherweight strap with the second only last April when he was clinically undone in the second round by Gary Russell Jr for the WBC equivalent.
Victory in the First Direct Arena next week could well pave the way for yet another world title showdown and subsequently prolong Hyland’s time in his beloved sport- that prospect itself driving him on.
“For me this is the be-all and end-all Hyland told The Echo. This could be my last fight. That’s the way I’m thinking.
“I’m getting old and the body has taken some pounding but I’m looking to win this and I’m putting everything into it.
“If I get beat I’ll have a talk with my wife and probably I’ll walk away and if I win I’ll have at least one more fight.
“I love this sport and I don’t want to walk away from it and that’s giving me extra motivation to go out there and win this, get another shot at a world title and hopefully make it third time lucky.
“I said I’d only fight for a title at featherweight again if I got a crack at Warrington and now that’s going to happen” he added.
Hyland does believe that Warrington and his camp are underestimating the threat he poses to the unbeaten Englishman.
His swift defeat at the hands of Russell in Connecticut earlier this year may well have enticed Warrington and co to take him on, but the Dubliner insists he will prove more than a handful for the 25-year-old unbeaten champion.
“I think that’s why they took the fight and I hope they are reading into those defeats [against Fortuna and Russell], hoping that it’ll be the same again” said Hyland.
“But Russell is a special talent and I don’t mind too much losing to him in the fashion that I did.
“This is the young bull against the old bull and we’ll see who comes out on top.
“I’ve been training hard. I’ve had some good sparring with Stephen Ormond and we brought over Chris Jenkins from Wales who’s a bit heavier than Ormond, so we’re leaving no stone unturned in my preparation” he insisted.
Hyland will be bringing with him plenty of experience when he flies out to England next week.
A career that has spanned 12 years so far has seen him land the Irish Featherweight title, the IBF International Feather-weight crown and the WBF World Featherweight strap before he fought for both the WBA and WBC World honours.
