Patrick Hyland believes he will have the spirit of his late father and trainer, Paddy, in his corner when he challenges Gary Russell Jr for the WBC world featherweight championship on Saturday night.
Ahead of Friday evening's weigh-in, Dubliner Hyland is a 7/1 underdog to cause a shock against American title holder Russell in Connecticut as the Tallaght native aims to become only the second Irishman ever to hold the famous ‘green belt’ after Wayne McCullough.
The 32-year-old Jobstown man is on a four-fight winning run since his sole career loss to Dominican Javier Fortuna in December 2012, but this weekend’s bout will be only the second time Hyland has fought since the death of his father, who passed away last summer.
Having had his dad in his corner for some 24 years as an amateur and professional, Hyland admits it will be an emotional night but he insists that years of tutelage has been so drilled into him that he his father’s advice will help him through Saturday’s bout.
"I know I’ll hear him in this fight and hear him after it," said Hyland ahead of the bout, which is screened live on Sky Sports in Ireland and the UK and on Showtime in the US.
"I do hear it in the gym, saying ‘get your f***ing hand up’, because he was never one to be soft on me or anything in the ring and he’d wind me up as well to get the best out of me… That’s all gone now, but it’s in my head," he continued.
"It’s absolutely drilled into me, every time I’m in sparring, every time I’m on the bags, it’s drilled into me, thinking that he’s over there watching. That’s why I’ve always worked hard, he was always around me and always giving out to me when I wasn’t pushing myself," added the Tallaght man, whose brothers Eddie and Paulie also enjoyed decorated amateur and pro careers under the guidance of Paddy Sr.
Video courtesy of The Echo Newspaper.
Hyland also trained under former world champion Tracey Patterson, son of the legendary Floyd Patterson, during spells in the US but a move back to Ireland saw the 32-year-old link up with Paschal Collins, brother of two-weight world champion Steve, in the Celtic Warriors Gym in Dublin’s Corduff.
While Collins is likely to encourage Hyland to be patient in his approach against the stylish Russell, the Dubliner admits that he will eventually attempt to lure his southpaw opponent into a scrap – something he believes his late father would also encourage.
“He’d turn around and say to me, ‘you love fighting so bring him into a fight’,” said Hyland.
“I’ll definitely be throwing [punches]. In this fight, I’m willing to be busy, busy, busy and I’m not going to sit back and say, ‘could’ve, should’ve’.”
Both fighters have only suffered one pro defeat, Hyland’s coming in a points loss against the still-undefeated Fortuna while Russell lost a majority decision to two-time Olympic champion Vasyl Lomachenko in 2014.
The majority of US fight figures have predicted an easy outing for 27-year-old Russell, a Washington native based in Maryland who carries a career record of 26-1 to Hyland’s 31-1, but the visitor has been looking to some Mexican legends of the ring to tailor his approach against the slick southpaw.
Hyland has been studying footage of Juan Manuel Marquez’s 2012 knockout of Manny Pacquiao, along with Marco Antonio Barrera’s memorable roughhouse win over another famous ‘lefty’ in ‘Prince’ Nassem Hamed in 2001.
“I’ve been watching Marquez with Pacquiao and how he’d fight a southpaw, especially someone that’s coming forward,” explained Hyland.
“This fella [Russell] is going to come at me with his speed and whatever power he thinks he has. I’m studying them [Marquez and Barrera] and how they’d deal with the southpaw coming at them.
“I thought Barrera was brilliant against Naz and made him look like an idiot at times,” continued the Dubliner. “Even the last Marquez-Pacquiao fight, that was just textbook as the opponent is coming into you. Step to the left and bring the right hand over. They always land.
“I’ve done that many times against a southpaw and I’ve knocked them out,” added Hyland, who insists he is not in Connecticut for a pay day.
“Money’s never my first priority. I think in my whole career, I’ve fought twice… two fights I’ve had that have paid over €10,000. I’ve took fights for free in the early times. Even against [Paul] Griffin [in 2008], I didn’t get paid anything because it was my da’s show and I said, ‘I don’t want money off you’. This is what I want: I want that belt, I want the big fights, the opportunities.”
While Russell, praised by many pundits for having some of the quickest hands in boxing, is a 1/14 favourite, the former world amateur medallist has struggled under the spotlight before.
The American famously failed to make weight for the Beijing Olympics after collapsing in his room due to dehydration prior to the pre-tournament weigh-in.
Hyland, a father of one who works part-time for a glazing company, has been making the 9st (126lb) featherweight limit regularly for around 14 years and he insists his discipline can be a major factor in this weekend’s bout ahead of Friday’s weigh-in.
“I’ve never been out of shape in my life,” he said. “It’s been hard and I’ve noticed in the last two years, I don’t know if it’s my old age but I’m picking at them biscuits more! But it’s no problem to me. I’m feeling like a machine, ready to fight.”
After an 11-and-a-half-year, 32-fight pro career, it is arguable that Hyland has not received the recognition his he is due ahead of his world-title date, but manager Brian Peters believes his man has the opportunity to right any wrong as he bids to follow in Wayne McCullough’s footsteps by winning a WBC crown.
“He’ll be an overnight success that took 12 years to get there,” laughed Peters.
“No disrespect to any of the other belts, the WBA or how many champions they have in their weights, or the WBO, but this is what [Floyd] Mayweather always went for. It’s the green belt and the tradition. Traditionally, the WBC is a serious belt to get a hold of, value wise. You bring a lot of credibility with you,” added Peters.
