John Duddy rapidly climbing middleweight ladder

QUEENS, N.Y. (April 7, 2005) – Unbeaten Irish middleweight prospect John Duddy (9-0, 9 KOs) is on the fast track in the 160-pound division, especially after his electrifying, high-profile first-round knockout of previously undefeated Lenord Pierre (16-0, 11 KOs), rated No. 19 by the World Boxing Council, March 18 on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights.

ESPN in-studio analyst for the March 18 show from Foxwoods, “Irish” Micky Ward, among many others, is sold on Duddy. “He’s the real deal,” Ward said. “John can do it all – speed, power and a good chin. Now it’s all up to his management team as far as how fast they move him. He looked tremendous fighting an undefeated kid (Pierre). If they move him right, Duddy has a great future because this kid can really fight.”

Duddy’s level of opposition has been very good, sporting an aggregate winning percentage of 73-percent going into their fights against the handsome Irishman from Derry, who now resides in Queens, New York. Four of his opponents were unbeaten when they entered the ring against Duddy – 16-0 Pierre, 7-0 Victor Paz, 3-0 Glen Dunnings and 1-0 Tarek Rached – in addition to 10-4-1 Ken Hock.

“It’s nice,” Duddy spoke about the growing adulation he’s been receiving. “It’s special when you hear somebody like Micky Ward saying good things about me. The more people see me, the more exciting it’s becoming, but you’re only as good as your next fight. What all of this means, at least in my mind, is I made the right decision about my career and how I’ve gone about it (moving to New York City). The support I’ve received from everybody on my team and my fans has been tremendous.”

Duddy’s next fight is tentatively set for next month in Boston. His plans this year also include a show in New York City.