By Steve Wellings

Bernard Dunne’s notoriously gruelling fitness regime will not only see him through 12 tough rounds on Saturday night, but it also allowed him to negotiate the many rounds of publicity he faced in the build-up.  Media workouts, once in Belfast and twice in Dublin, have allowed the star to meet and greet the press and public, with more events he took part in that were scheduled during fight week.  Dunne will now realise that being a world champion doesn’t begin and end in the squared circle.

In an attempt to familiarise domestic fight fans with the relatively unknown challenger, Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym was fresh off the plane and into a workout of his own at a local Muay Thai gym.  The transplanted Thai community in Dublin are also ensuring that the man from Sakon Nakhon feels at home in his temporary surroundings.  A scheduled head to head at Jimmy Chung’s Bar and Buffet on Wednesday continued the theme, and (if you’ll excuse the pun) it is all being conducted in good taste.

The 28 year-old visitor has enlisted the help of a Thai monk and will attribute any success to divine intervention – Poonsawat has changed his name via deed poll for luck.  But as was the case with Juan Manuel Marquez’s recent urine-laced potion, these gimmicks may help sell the fight but they don’t decide the outcome of it.

"I don't want to be known as Thailand's Manny Pacquiao,” he explained, responding in a recent press release to comparisons between him and the Philippine idol.

“I want to be known as Poonsawat of Thailand. The fight with Dunne will be widely publicized so the world will know that Thailand produces good boxers.  My dream is to make Thailand number one again.”

Dunne, meanwhile, has been enlisting in some quality sparring as he prepares to defend his title for the first time.  Dublin’s O2 arena, the scene of his initial triumph over Cordoba, is again the preferred venue.  Recent world title challenger Olivier Lontchi has been replicating the Thai’s moves and studying tapes in a bid to find some weaknesses Bernard can exploit. 

Lontchi is perhaps more boxer than puncher but the same cannot be said for Olympian Khedafi Djelkhir, a 25 year-old Frenchman, who has removed all three professional victims via stoppage.  Argentina’s Cristian Faccio, who Dunne beat in Castlebar last November, is back for more punishment as the third spar-hand.

Hyperbolic statements and no small amount of nonsense can be spouted before a fight, sometimes to make a one-sided affair appear competitive. In this case when I read promoter Brian Peters’ statement that this is “…a real 50-50 fight… [Which]…promises to be even tougher than the Cordoba fight,” I am inclined to agree.

Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym may have recruited the support of Dublin based Thai’s and an almighty power but Dunne himself calls in inspiration from a little closer to home.  At 7am on the morning of the fight, 60 willing fundraisers from Turf Lodge in West Belfast (home of Harry Hawkins’ Holy Trinity gym) will cycle the 100+ mile journey to Dublin.  Dunne’s personal fitness trainer Alec Doherty and club coach Peter Brady have joined the team, who are marking 125 years of the GAA.  After many painful hours at the saddle, the group will be in the stadium to watch any drama unfold.  The Gort Na Mona club is hoping to raise vital funds for Gaelic football equipment to be used by young hopefuls and established seniors.

With such a brief rest period following the Cordoba fight, battle scars have barely healed and yet again Bernard Dunne will surely find himself going to the well to win a major fight.  Like so many modern professional’s, after such an exhaustive run-up, he will feel that the most natural place for him to be is in the ring.  For 36 minutes (or less) on Saturday night, the talking stops and the action begins.

On the undercard, Andrew Murray was forced to withdraw as chief support after breaking his collarbone in training.  The Cavan man had been hoping to cement his place in the queue for the lightweight European title proper with a successful defense of the EU belt he won against Daniel Rasilla.  Italian Pasquale Di Silvio was set to be in the opposite corner and he has since been removed from the card.  Despite the setback, Brian Peters remains upbeat.

“I’m sure it won’t be too long before we see him back in the ring. He’s a tremendous talent and I believe he’s Irish boxing’s next big star.  He’s already European Union Champ and I see no reason why he can’t get his hands on the full European title next year and push on from there,” he said when discussing Murray.

Big fights have so far eluded Lurgan welterweight Stephen Haughian and he continues to tread water against Estonian veteran Albert Starikov.  Haughian was due to face Ted Bami on this show but that fight, and a mooted clash with Craig Dickson, fell through.

Local interest sees Michael Sweeney and Jamie Power engage in an All-Irish eight rounder at light-heavyweight.  Patrick Hyland faces David Kiilu who has mixed in good company but, at 36 years-old, has seen better days.  Heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury aims to put the controversial John McDermott fight behind him with a nondescript six–round fight, while Oisin Fagan and Anthony Fitzgerald are also featured.