Super featherweight Patrick Hyland (25-0, 11 Kos) will fight Frankie Archuleta (27-9-1, 14 KOs) on May 12 at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie in a contest scheduled for eight rounds.

The Marlboro, New York-based Dublin native is in the throes of his camp as he prepares for the challenge of the 36-year-old from New Mexico.

“I haven’t seen too much of him but Tracy (Patterson, Hyland’s trainer) is looking into him,” Hyland told the Irish Voice on Monday night.

“He is a come-forward guy, and that will suit me," Hyland added. “He has been in with some top competitors.”

Archuleta defeated Johnny Tapia in 2005 and lost to Hyland’s last opponent, Emanuel Lucero, in 2002. During his 15-year-career he has fought some top professionals, but he is 2-4 in his last half-a-dozen fights. 

He was last in action in November when he lost by TKO in round two to Daud Cino Yordan in Western Australia.

Hyland has been hard at work with Patterson as he prepares for his second fight of 2012.

“It’s all going to plan now and I have been sparring with Chazz McDowell,” he said, adding that he was also planning some contact work with Mike Faragon and that another fighter, Luis Rodriguez, was coming from Puerto Rico to help him with his preparations.

Though Archuleta’s best days are behind him, Hyland is not taking him lightly.

“I will have the same attitude I have for every fight; to go in and try and knock out whoever they put in front of me,” he said.

As per usual, Hyland’s father Paddy will be joining the team on fight week and act as a second in his son’s corner. 

“We are having a press conference on Thursday at the Union Square in Poughkeepsie,” said Hyland.
He went on to say that though he is settling in well in the U.S. he does miss his family, but the goal he set himself on arrival keeps him going.

“I came here to become world champion,” he said. “I am looking forward to being 26-0.”

The card is called the “Irish Invasion,” and is being promoted by Final Round Promotions in association with Team Snooki Boxing and Ring Promotions.

However, it will be a one-man Gaelic assault, as brothers Paul Hyland and Eddie Hyland will not feature on the night. It will be the first time in 10 outings that Patrick is not fighting on the same card as at least one of his brothers. The promotion is part-sponsored by Title Boxing.

Hyland has been receiving some high profile support from Snooki. The Jersey Shore star has been tweeting regularly about the upcoming fight.

To put that in perspective, as of Monday night, Snooki had over 4.85 million followers on the social networking site. Hyland went on to say that Snooki plans to be in attendance on fight night.

The Dubliner said he was delighted for Snooki and her boyfriend Jionni on the news that she is pregnant.

Tickets for the Irish Invasion are available from Ticketmaster.com, and prices range from $35 - $100.
In other news, light middleweight Kevin Rooney, Jr. (4-1, 2 KOs) will have the biggest night of his fledgling career on May 18 at the Times Union Center, in Albany, New York when he fights on the televised undercard of ESPN Friday Nights. An opponent has yet to be confirmed.