Dublin’s Bernard Dunne will take on World champion Ricardo ‘El Maestrito’ Cordoba for the WBA Super Bantamweight title as world championship boxing returns to Ireland for the first time in 13 years.
The fight will take place at the O2 Dublin on Saturday 21 March.
Dunne turns 29 next month, and he feels the timing is perfect for a shot at the WBA belt.
‘This is the fight I’ve wanted since I first put on a pair of boxing gloves,’ said Dunne.
‘It’s every boxer’s dream to be a world champion and I’m no different. This is what I’ve worked my whole life for and now that the chance is here I want to grab it with both hands.’
Dunne added that home advantage made the fight even more of a dream come true, saying ‘It’s a huge coup to get the fight here, there’s no doubt about that.'
‘Every boxer wants to fight for a world title but to have it in your hometown is special.
‘It’s going to be an incredible experience and I know I’ll thrive on that atmosphere. Cordoba’s fought all around the world but he won’t ever have experienced anything like the atmosphere in the O2, it’s going to be very special.
'It’s a fantastic venue and (the fight) can’t come soon enough.’
A hat trick of impressive wins over South American opposition in 2008 secured Dunne a number 11 ranking with the WBA and a crack at Cordoba’s World title.
The tall, Panamanian southpaw has just one defeat in his 37 pro fights, and won the title with a landslide points win over Luis Alberto Perez in his native country last September.
