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DAIRE Feeney is looking to ‘make a statement’ during his ISKA 70kg K1 Irish title fight with Jordan Dempsey in Dublin on Saturday.
The Strabane Martial Arts Academy fighter is confident he will become a two-time Irish champion in Tallaght’s Kilnamanagh Recreation Centre where he believes he will add that belt to the Irish Oriental Rules K1 title he already holds.
Feeney and Dempsey have met once before, in the same venue and that is why entering the lion’s den holds no fears for the Strabane man, who admits he’s a different animal to the one his foe encountered around two years previously.
“This boy beat me about two years ago, in like my third or fourth fight. I had only been at it about six months at that time and now I’m at it three years, so I’m a different operator now!
“I’m going in for nothing but a win here, which will be me holding two Irish titles simultaneously. I’ll have to two at the one time, so there will be plenty of opponents coming after me now!”
As well as having much more experience under his belt this time around, Feeney admits he’s also in top shape ahead of the bout after a lengthy training camp that came about when his WAR K1 European title fight with Brandon Woods in Sheffield was canceled late in the day after his opponent withdrew.
“This one is definitely going ahead!,” he laughed. “All the preparation wasn’t for nothing though, it’s had a knock-on effect for now.
And alongside his extended pre-fight camp leaving him in good shape for the encounter, Feeney will also have a big travelling support, which he believes will rival those behind Dempsey.
““You want to go down and make a statement,” he added. “It’s his home show and he did an interview I saw on Instagram and he said this is home show, so he’ll have plenty of supporters but I’ll not be far away from him. We have a bus going down, so there will be a good crowd of us.”
