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Hot Liverpool prospect Joe McNally would like nothing more than to share a coffee and a pleasant meal with Merseyside rival Graham Delehedy.
However, on March 28 at the Echo Arena, McNally promises to put their friendship to one side and defeat the big-punching Delehedy more decisively than anyone before.
When not throwing punches at one another, McNally knows Delehedy simply as ‘Del’.
“I’ve boxed on a few shows with Del at the Olympia and I’ve also sparred about 25 rounds with him over the years,” says McNally. “Del’s a great lad. I could easily sit down and have a coffee with him or go for a meal with him. Now I’ve got to fight him, that’s all.
“I can vouch for his punch power. He can punch – no doubt about it. He’s rocked me to my boots in sparring with 16-ounce gloves. The thing is, I’ve rocked him to his boots, too, in 16-ounce gloves. I’m going to be coming to knock him out on March 28 and he’s going to be coming to knock me out. It can’t be anything but an explosive fight.”
Southpaw McNally is currently 6-0 (2) as a promising light-middleweight. Fellow Scouser Delehedy is 9-4-1 (7) and renowned for his one-punch power on Merseyside.
Despite patchy recent form, McNally expects to face the best and most dangerous version of Delehedy at “Hayemaker 6”.
“Against me he’s going to be bang-on,” assures McNally. “This isn’t a short-notice job in someone else’s backyard. This is going to be the biggest fight of his life.
“It’s two Scousers facing off against each other and I know he’s going to be looking to knock me out. He’s got nine weeks of preparation and he’s going to be as fit as he’s ever been.
“He’ll see me as a stepping stone to a title shot. I’ve no doubt he’ll fancy his chances.”
Level-headed and mature beyond his mere 24 years, McNally speaks like a fighter who has studied every move and habit in the arsenal of Delehedy.
“He’s a big puncher and I’ve got to be wary of it,” assesses Joe. “It’s one of those fights where you could win every second of every round and then get caught with something silly and get knocked out.
Del’s not the most talented of boxers, but he can flat out bang. He’s one of those punchers that can whack you on the top of the head and put you to sleep.
“The plan will be to stay concentrated through every round and box Del’s head off. I won’t be on the back foot or anything like that, but I’ll look to keep it medium to long range and just beat him to the punch.
“If the knockout comes, I’ll go for it. I know that if I catch him clean, he’ll go. I’m very confident in my punch power at light-middleweight. Del will probably be seen as the puncher in the fight, but I believe I’ve got more than enough power to switch his lights out.”
Part of McNally’s delight at securing the intriguing all-Liverpool contest with Delehedy is the sense of fear and danger that comes with it. Facing a noted banger has never been so alluring.
“I don’t want to mix it up with Del too much because he can really bang,” admits McNally. “It would be stupid to take risks. Still, it might be nice to test my own chin with a couple of little 10-ounce gloves. It could be fun to take a few whacks from a known puncher like Del.
“It’s the sort of fight that gets you out at six in the morning to do your running. I’m looking at doing a better job on Del than anyone else has. I want to go out and make a statement. I want people to think, ‘where did this kid come from?’.”
McNally vs. Delehedy forms part of the undercard to Hayemaker 6: ‘The Mersey Beatdown’ on March 28 at the Echo Arena, Liverpool. Tickets for Hayemaker 6 can be purchased from www.accliverpool.com or by calling 0844 8000 400.
