skip to main content

Dunne well prepared for Monday's fight

Bernard Dunne (right) has one eye on the European crown
Bernard Dunne (right) has one eye on the European crown

Watch the fight live here on RTÉ.ie Sport from 8.00pm on Monday, April 9.

Ghana-born Joseph 'King Kong' Agbeko is helping IBC super bantamweight world champion Bernard Dunne prepare for next Monday's clash with Sergio Carlos Santillan in Italy.

Unbeaten Dunne, who is training for the fight at the Holy Trinity Club in Belfast, meets current South American champion Santillan in Turin.

Dubliner Dunne travels to Italy on Saturday and will weigh-in on Sunday morning ahead of the 20th fight of his professional career.

Agbeko, who has recorded 19 KOs en route to winning 21 of his 22 fights as a pro, was drafted in as a sparring partner for Dunne, along with Martin Lindsay and Kevin O'Hara last week.

And according to coach Harry Hawkins, everything is going according to plan. He said: "We are beginning to wind down a bit now ahead of the weekend when we will travel to Italy.

"Bernard is in top shape and he has been sparring with Joseph Agbeko, Martin Lindsay and Kevin O'Hara for the last seven days and he has got an enormous amount of work done over the last five weeks."

26-year-old Dunne is looking at Argentina-born Santillan as a stepping stone toward a potential tilt at Michael Hunter's European crown sometime this year.

"Everything I have been doing in my career up to this point is geared toward that fight taking place sometime this year," said Dunne.

"That's the fight I want but obviously I need to get past the likes of Santillan first. These are the kind of fights I need to ensure that I am ready to take the European title from Hunter," added the IBC super bantamweight world champion.

Read Next