Boxing News Boxing News
Undefeated Cork based Cuban sensation Alexei Acosta turns 22 on Saturday week (February 13th) and he’ll be hoping for a double celebration when he features on the Yanjing Fight Night at the National Stadium in Dublin.
The 2006 World Junior Champion has earned the moniker of “The Hurricane” since turning pro in 2008 and has so far blown away all 9 of his opponents to date leaving a trail of destruction behind him. The Leeside based puncher will be looking to extend his KO record to a perfect 10 in Dublin when he takes on Middlesbrough’s Gavin Reid over eight rounds on the undercard of Andy Murray and Oisin Fagan’s eagerly awaited Irish title clash.
Acosta has yet to travel beyond three rounds as a pro but the prodigious young talent can expect a stiff task from the durable Reid who has something of a track record for upsetting unbeaten prospects having removed the all important zero from the records of English prospects John Donnelly and Stuart McFadyen.
In his last outing in November bantamweight Acosta took a step up in class but still needed just two rounds to dispatch former Bernard Dunne opponent and British and Commonwealth title challenger Sean Hughes.
Acosta’s bout with Reid is one of seven fights on the Yanjing Fight Night card with for the first time ever four Irish title fights featured on the same night. The clash between Murray and Fagan headlines while the vacant Irish Heavyweight belt will also be up for grabs when Galway’s Coleman Barrett clashes with Dublin’s Colin Kenna in the first Irish Heavyweight title fight for lmost 13 years.
Patrick Hyland will make the first defence of his Irish Featherweight title against Mickey Coveney while Anthony Fitzgerald and Lee Murtagh clash for the vacant Irish Super Middleweight title.
Two other non title fights on the bill will see featherweight prospect Willie Casey and new Belfast pro Jamie Conlan looking to extend their unbeaten records.
Tickets for the Yanjing Fight Night priced €30, €40, €50 and €60 are available from Ticketmaster (phone 0818 719 300 or visit ticketmaster.ie) and all usual outlets.
