Upcoming Friday Fright Night event at the SSE Arena has 'a bit of everything', says promoter Jamie Conlan

Promoter Jamie Conlan is looking forward to Friday Fright Night at the SSE ArenaPromoter Jamie Conlan is looking forward to Friday Fright Night at the SSE Arena
Promoter Jamie Conlan is looking forward to Friday Fright Night at the SSE Arena
Jamie Conlan believes Friday’s big fight night at the SSE Arena needs no hype and all the talking will be done in the ring.

The bill is headlined by Belfast super middleweight Padraig McCrory as he takes on hard hitting Colombian Leonard Carrillo, whilst there is also the rematch between Rudy Farrell and Connor Kerr for the vacant Irish Bantamweight title after their explosive first encounter.

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Additionally, Kurt Walker puts his unbeaten record on the line against Rudy Garcia, as well as a host of emerging talent on the undercard.

Promoter Conlan said: “It’s stacked and I think we have a bit of everything, we have the prospects coming through learning and developing in their career, then we have genuine 50/50 fights, we have crossroad fights, big step-up fights, make or break fights, it has got a bit of everything.

“Padraig against Carrillo I don’t see going past six rounds, both of them carry power but a different kind of power.

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“Carrillo is big, tall, awkward, dangly, hits you from unorthodox angles and looks like he carries that legit power and doesn’t realise how hard he hits.

“Similar with Pody (Padraig McCrory), he is a bit more rigid coming forward and a bit more meticulous when he is going to throw a punch. It is a real good clash of styles, and I just don’t think it goes past six as I think someone’s chin will give in.

“Rudy Farrell against Connor Kerr for me was the Irish fight of the year. The rematch over 10 rounds I think suits Connor a bit more as I thought he was coming on more at the end but I genuinely can’t pick them.

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“I think it will be round nine carried on and we’ll get 10 rounds of absolute carnage.

“Rudy Garcia against Kurt Walker is the most intriguing fight of the night for me. It’s not going to have the destruction of Pody, it is not going to have the amount of punching of action as Rudy and Connor, but it is a real boxer v puncher clash.

“None of them real have big punch power but an aggressive come forward Mexican American against a stylish box fighter in Kurt Walker, it’s a real genuine mix.”

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Conlon admits there is no point giving the home fighters easy opponents.

“You have to deliver for the people or they won’t turn up,” he explained. The fighters have to take all the credit, they can scream, moan and say no but ultimately it is their decision who fights who.”

“All I have to do is prose the fights, identify the fighters and the styles and they say yes or no to it.

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“We are lucky that we have genuine fighters here like McCrory and Tryone McKenna who want it all.

“Pody and Tyrone they think like a fan and they kind of make my job a bit easier by fighting on.

“The flip side to that is I need the guys to keep winning so you are kind of risking a lot. The night we did Tyrone in August we had all losers, but they will take the defeats and come back.

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“It’s a big shout on to Pody because he could have went easier and there were proposals, he could have fought a wee bit down for a build back performance and then go again but he didn’t, he wanted to headline the SSE Arena and if you are headlining the SSE Arena you have to have a real fight.”

Conlan and his brother Michael had some big fight nights in Belfast and he appreciates the different the home crowd can make.

“It’s essential, if we look further afield you are not tailoring to your own, we want to build the next superstars in Irish boxing and the way to do that is to make them hometown heroes,” he explained.

“To do that you need to have big nights in the SSE Arena and keep building.”

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