BY CHRIS MCNULTY
JASON Quigley will aim to get ‘4 and 0’ on his record before Christmas after scoring the third win of his professional career on Thursday night.
Quigley made light work of veteran Greg McCoy of New Haven, a sharp two-punch combination winning the contest for the Ballybofey man after just two minutes and 39 seconds into the first round.
At the Plymouth Memorial Hall, Massachusetts, in a Fox Sports televised contest in a Golden Boy/Murphy’s Boxing co-promotion, Quigley showcased his promise to America’s east coast for the first time as a pro.
Quigley had been rumoured to be set for a fight in Dublin on November 15 as part of the support act for the Matthew Macklin-Jorge Sebastien Heiland world title eliminator at Dublin’s 3Arena. Promoter Eddie Hearn was keen to have Quigley, who’d have attracted a huge crowd, but Golden Boy Promotions and Quigley’s own camp are keen to stay Stateside for the time being.
The Finn Valley star is likely to have a fourth pro bout in America in December, when he’ll look to go four-in-a-row after Thursday night’s impressive destruction of McCoy.
The 38-year-old was making a ring return after a three-year absence because of a detached retina.
McCoy, now 3-4-1, was a late replacement as Quigley’s opponent after Thomas Gifford failed to make the weight. McCoy had been set for a fight on the card anyway so it wasn’t as if he was parachuted in from the cold.
But against Quigley, determined to make a mark in front of the boisterous Boston crowd – among whom were a contingent from Ballybofey including his mother Muriel, girlfriend April McManus and Finn Valley’s Sharon Scanlon, Andrew Scanlon and Darren Kelly – McCoy had no answer.
The fleet-of-foot Quigley, fresh from wins over Howard Reece and Fernando Najera, set the tone early in the fight and he was clearly on top from the off. Quigley’s speed and accuracy caught the eye, while his devastating power rocked McCoy.
The scheduled four-rounder didn’t even last three minutes. When Quigley dropped McCoy in the corner with a sensational left hook-right cross the stars were circling in McCoy’s head. With McCoy on the canvas in Quigley’s corner, the reactions said it all.
Referee Jack Morell stepped in and McCoy remained grounded for the full ten count as Quigley moved to 3-0, 3KOs following his inside-the-distance wins against Reece and Najera in Las Vegas and Carson.
Given the Irish population in Massachusetts, this win could be the first of
many on America’s east coast for Quigley, whose popularity continues to grow.
After putting McCoy to the sword, Quigley again outlined that he remains dedicated to achieving his boyhood dreams in America’s big boxing yards.
He said: “Becoming a world champion, that’s the ultimate dream. It’s a fire burning deep in my belly since I was watching boxing on TV as a young kid with my father.”
MCLAUGHLIN VICTORIOUS
ON the same Plymouth card as Quigley’s stoppage of McCoy, another Donegal man scored a fine pro win. Michael ‘Owen’ McLaughlin moved to 9-1-1 as he also took the short cut to victory. In the second round of a scheduled four rounder, McLaughlin stopped Paulo Souza.
This was McLaughlin’s second win over Somerville’s Souza this year after a TKO in round 2 in their meeting at Boston’s Royale Nightclub in March.
The Carndonagh southpaw made no mistake on Thursday to move up another notch.
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