Unbeaten Irish light welterweight prospect Dean “Irish Lightning” Byrne explodes in Las Vegas against Mexican southpaw Jose Reynoso in a scheduled eight round bout Friday night at South Point Hotel Casino.

The boxing world will be focused on Las Vegas this weekend for Saturday night’s mega-fight Saturday evening between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton, but that show’s appetizer is the Sin City debut of the 24-year-old Byrne, who’ll also have Manny’s trainer, Freddie Roach, in his corner.

Byrne has found a home at Roach’s famed Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles, where Dean has benefited from sparring with Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Juan Marquez.

A veteran of more than 200 amateur fights, Byrne was an Irish National champion who turned pro in Australia, capturing the New South Wales State belt in only his fourth pro fight, and one fight later added the Australian crown in a 10-round bout. O

n his way from Australia to relocate in Boston, Dean stopped in Los Angeles and trained at Wild Card, where Roach took an instant shine to his now protégé.

"Every fight counts, each one a stepping stone for Dean to reach his ultimate goal of winning a world title,” Byrne’s manager Steven Feder of Standing Eight Management remarked.

"To have Dean become champion of the world is what this is all about. He's sparred with so many champions in Wild Card Gym and his turn to wear the belt in the limelight of the ring is just a matter of time.

"Dean’s a true throwback boxer; a working man’s fighter. Among all of the glitz and glitter associated with making his Las Vegas debut, Dean has worked even harder and continued to make tremendous sacrifices because, especially in these trying economic times, he realizes how important it is to give paying fans their money’s worth.

"Dean wants to follow in the footsteps of the greats and money isn’t the driving force for him. Manny is a great example of a fighter that hasn’t let fame or money change him. Of course, Dean wants to earn a lot of money, but he will never forget where he came from or who he’s fighting for, the public.

"He came from nothing in Dublin and he’ll never forget that as he fights his way to achieve his dreams.”

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