Belfast Boy, Haskins V Burnett IBF World Bantamweight Title
Matchroom Boxing Promotions
10th June 2017
SSE Arena
Belfast, Northern Ireland
TV
UK – Sky Sports
USA – Not Shown
Panama – Cable Onda Sports
Lee Haskins ‘Playboy’ 34 (14 KO’s)-3-0 V Ryan Burnett 16 (9 KO’s)-0-0
Lee Haskins is a fighter who has the reputation of being an all round fighter, he started out in Flyweight before moving up to Super Flyweight but only really fighting at a British / Commonwealth level before making the jump up again to Bantamweight but it is here he made the jump to world level.
While at Bantamweight he fought and won the British, European, WBA Inter-Continental, Interim IBF World, and then winning the IBF World. The champion is not fazed one bit with coming into Burnetts back yard and he fully understands he will receive a hostile reception but he believes the fans from Belfast are the best in the world and he is looking forward to fighting in the famous atmosphere.
Ryan Burnett is aiming to do what not too many fighters from Northern Ireland have done before and that is become a world champion, if he is to take Haskins belt he will become the eighth man to do so from Northern Ireland, and thus elevate his name to be on the same level as such fighters as Rinty Monaghan, Wayne McCullough and Carl Frampton to name a few.
This will be only the fourth time Burnett has fought in Belfast but one thing fans from Belfast do well is support their local fighters, and they should come out in force for the young prospect. Belfast is a fighting city with a steeped history in Boxing from bare knuckle fights in Sailortown through to world title fights in the infamous Kings Hall.
Other fighters appearing on the card are as follows:
Ian Tims V Luke Watkins
Cruiserweight Fight
James Tennyson V Ryan Doyle
Vacant WBA International Super-Featherweight Championship
Paul Hyland Jr V Adam Dingsdale
Vacant IBF European Lightweight Championship
Mike Perez V TBA
Cruiserweight Fight
Fergal McCrory V Paul Holt
Super Featherweight Fight
Matthew Wilton V William Warbutt
Super Welterweight Fight
Tyrone McCullagh V Jose Aguilar
Featherweight Fight
Paddy Gallagher V Craig Kelly
Welterweight Fight
Sean Magee V Jules Phillips
Featherweight Fight
Padraig McCrory V Jacob Lucas
Super Middleweight Fight
Sean McGoldrick V Ricky Starkey
Bantamweight Fight