by Ronan Casey
If there was any doubt that two broken legs would affect John Joe Nevin’s burgeoning professional boxing career, they were smashed to smithereens on Saturday as the Mullingar man took just 88 seconds to dispatch England’s Jack Heath at a packed 3Arena in Dublin.
In his first pro fight in Ireland – his third as a professional – John Joe attacked from the off, flooring his opponent three times before the referee halted the fight after one minute and 28 seconds.
His manager predicts that in two year, Mullingar could have a world champion if John Joe carries on in the ring as he did on Saturday night.
It is telling that the boxing world ranks John Joe as box office as he was the main supporting bout on a 12-fight bill for the WBC International Middleweight Championship bout between Matthew Macklin Jorge Sebastian Heiland.
The 2012 Olympic silver medallist received a rapturous welcome from over 10,000 fans at what was the O2 and the Point Depot. A sizeable crowd from Westmeath travelled to see the fight.
John Joe’s manager, Irish-American boxing promoter, Tom Moran, told Topic he has big plans for the fighter.
“We’re looking at one more bout before Christmas before we have a big event around St Patrick’s weekend in America. John Joe will be a world champion; he will deliver the world championship that Ireland really wants. There is some hard work ahead. We’re not going to fast- track John Joe, his legs are not quite there yet, but he’s getting there.”
Moran, who signed John Joe to his Greenblood team, did not discount the possibility of John Joe fighting a home town bout in Mullingar, with Cusack Park a possible venue for a summer bout.
“We’re looking at all the options. We’d love to stage a fight in Mullingar but we have a lot of work to do yet. I’m looking at a title challenge in maybe two years.”
TIGER
The undefeated London 2012 silver medallist now has three straight wins under his belt. This was his second comeback fight since his legs were broken in a vicious assault near his home in Ardleigh, Mullingar last April.
John Joe said that is all behind him and he looked focussed and assured as he entered the arena on Saturday night to the strains of “Shipping Out to Boston” by the Irish punk band Dropkick Murphys.
As he got into the ring John Joe approached his 20-year-old opponent, turned his back to him and scratched the ground in front of him with his feet, marking his territory. The fans loved the move, a classic piece of boxing sportsmanship. Before the fight even began Heath was unsettled.
As the first round of what was meant to be a six-round contest began, John Joe pounced on Heath like a tiger, knocking him to the ground within 20 seconds with a couple of sharp punches.
John Joe was far too fast for Heath. Every time the English fighter threw a punch, John Joe’s trademark defensive moves ensured Heath was swinging in the air. Toying with the Englishman, Nevin floored him a second time within a minute. Back on his feet, a dazed Heath valiantly tried to defend himself but a little over 20 seconds later it was all over, a fierce swarm of punches sending him to the floor for the third and last time.
As he peeled back from his floored opponent, John Joe gave the crowd a ‘Mullingar Shuffle’ which they lapped up. Chants of “olé, olé, olé” rang out and tricolours were raised as fans gave him a standing ovation. The referee intervened and stopped the super featherweight contest.
PRAISE
Speaking afterwards, the 25-year-old praised the Irish boxing fans at home and abroad who kept him going after his leg breaks. He had particular thanks for the Irish Amateur Boxing Association’s High Performance Team.
As if two broken legs wasn’t enough, John Joe’s gym in Cavan was closed in the build-up to the fight, leaving him homeless until the IABA stepped in.
He said it was an incredible feeling to win on home soil as a pro.
“It feels amazing to win in Dublin. I look at all the fans here. They are the best fans in the world. These are the fans who followed me out to London. I did okay for them there but someday I’d like to bring back a world title. I’m sure I can bring back a world title for them someday,”
Not carried away with the professional boxing world, John Joe thanked his long-time coach Brian McKeown and he graciously thanked Billy Walsh, Gary Keggan and other coaches who helped him in his amateur days “for everything they’ve done for me. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Looking to the future the featherweight said he wants to move up the ranks. “Of course there will be tougher tests, but that is what I want. I’m here to test myself. I’ve done everything I could as an amateur. Bring it on.”
Some would say the Heath fight was no test for John Joe, but the Englishman was fighting his tenth pro fight. He was no match for John Joe’s devastating strength.
ARENAS
After the big fight, John Joe, his family, friends and supporters relaxed at the Harcourt Hotel in Dublin. He told Topic that fighting “against all sorts” in Philadelphia has made him a stronger fighter and he is ready to take on anyone.
Outlining that on any given day he could be fighting any style of fighter – from big brawlers to sluggers to out-fighters to southpaws and counter-punchers – he says he has developed as a boxer, and he has been kept on his toes by Moran and McKeown.
Tom knows that John Joe is a ‘homebird’ and told Topic he wants to get the right mix of fighting and training at home and in America for John Joe. A poster boy for the Greenblood group of fighters, Moran predicts John Joe could be filling American arenas in just a few short years.
“This guy will represent the Irish in America. They are looking for a hero, a modern day fighter who has it all, and I believe John Joe has it all. We’ll find the right mix, and he’ll fight at home too, but also in America. We have big things planned.”
John Joe was pleased with the reception in the 3Arena. The crowd was mainly Dublin orientated, there for the big Matthew Macklin fight and ‘the Grudge Match’, a much-hyped fight between Cork’s Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan and Dublin’s Anthony Fitzgerald. It was over midway through the first round, when Corkman ‘Spike’ floored his opponent with a right uppercut that KO’d the Dub, silencing the crowd.
There was also upset in the main event as Macklin was knocked out by Argentina’s Jorge Sebastian Heiland in the 10th round.
With a number of other Irish fighters losing on the night, John Joe Nevin’s win was a beacon of light for boxing fans as they poured out of the 3Arena.
REMARKABLE
The fight caps a truly remarkable recovery for him after his broken legs threatened to end his career.
“It was the worst feeling of my life,” Nevin said of the attack. “I was at my lowest, in there in the hospital, lying, looking down at my leg and the bone coming out through it. It was horrible.”
Nevin said that he was trying to move on from the incident, and that he had received an apology in relation to it, which he had accepted.
“I want to move on from it,” he said. “My main aim is to win a world title. That’s it.”
(For more pics from the Nevin fight see the Westmeath Topic Facebook page).
