Bob Arum told IrishCentral that he has hopes that John Duddy and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will meet in a big fight in New York around St. Patrick's Day.
"If Chavez gets by November 14th, the plan is for each of them to fight other opponents December 19th in Cancun, and then to fight back here in New York around St. Patrick's," Arum told IrishCentral after introducing all the fighters from Saturday night's "Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12” card to the press at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday afternoon.
Arum went on to say that it would be a good opportunity for both fighters, and that he chose the East Coast because it made more sense. Knowing how popular Chavez is on the West Coast with Mexican Americans, the promoter wants to build Chavez up in the east.
With Duddy attracting a sizeable fan base of his own, the scene would be set for a significant fight between two up and comers with solid public support.
Duddy was at the press conference in the lobby of the WaMu theater ahead of his fight against Michi Munoz on the undercard, and when Arum introduced the Irish fighter, the promoter hinted at how Duddy may be featuring prominently with his promotion company.
"He [Duddy] is coming back from a defeat , but we expect him to be featured in some major fights down the road. He is a very big crowd favorite in this area and I would like to ask him to come up and say a few words."
Duddy, looking fit in a grey tracksuit, took to the dais and addressed the assembled press.
"It's good to be back fighting in Madison Square Garden again," said Duddy, as he thanked Arum and Top Rank for the opportunity to fight on the card.
"I am looking forward to getting back on track and back on the road to someday fight for a world title. I want to put on a good fight and a good show for all the fight fans here on Saturday night, " added the 30-year-old.
While Duddy, his trainer Harry Keitt and advisor Craig Hamilton have been focusing with tunnel vision on the challenge of Michi Munoz alone, and will not discuss anything to do with Chavez, it would seem that getting over Munoz will open up opportunities for the Derry native.
Despite losing to Billy Lyell on his last outing, Duddy now has the chance to kickstart his career. The first, and most vital, step on the journey is a win against Munoz on Saturday night.
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