In his sixth fight in New York since 2022, Ryan O’Rourke, aka “The Silent Assassin,” puts his unblemished record on the line against fellow undefeated prospect Jerome “Thoroughbred” Baxter in an eight-round welterweight contest at The Paramount in Huntington, Long Island, this Saturday.
It’s a rare high-stakes showdown between two rising prizefighters willing to test their mettle against each other at any cost.
O’Rourke, who’s 26, is 13-0 with three KOs. A veteran of 70 amateur fights, he’s a well-schooled boxer and, at 5-feet-11 inches, rangy for a welterweight. He was a 2020 Irish National semi-finalist and a 2019 Eindhoven Box Cup finalist.
In Baxter, the Dubliner faces a 31-year-old late bloomer out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, two inches shorter than him.
Baxter is 7-0 in the paid ranks, also with three KOs on his ledger. He was a decorated amateur, a three-time State champion, five-time regional champion, and a former Team Pennsylvania standout. He’s reputed for his high skill and intensity.
Harley “Heavy Hands” Burke, the other Irish fighter on Star Boxing’s 52nd “Rockin’ Fights” series, meets former world title contender Avtandil “Mini Mike Tyson” Khurtsidze in what the promoters have billed as a “hard-punching prospect vs brutal veteran banger showdown."
A Yonkers resident, Burke declared himself in great shape ahead of the biggest fight of his career -- against the Georgian-born Khurtsidze [34-2-3, 23 KOs].
The Galwayman has been in the gym since his last fight in the summer, when he was initially training for a planned all-Irish clash with Emmet Brennan that fell through.
“I feel great,” Burke, who’s 10-0 [7 KOs] told the Echo. “I'm just really excited to be active and fighting for the second time this year. I haven't done that in three years.”
Burke’s last fight was a six round unanimous points decision over Louis Maietta in White Plains, last June.
At any rate, Burke fancies his chances against the former IBO and WBO interim middleweight champion. “You could argue he's a bigger name and has gotten much further in the sport.”
Tickets for Rockin’ Fights 52 are available at: StarBoxing.com, Ticketmaster.com or through The Paramount Box Office.
NYSAC RULES AGAINST
O’BRADAIGH OPPONENT
On his pro debut on a massive St. Patrick’s Day eve Irish show at Madison Square Garden last March, Sean O’Bradaigh, a top amateur nationally before then, battled Brazilian light heavyweight Jefferson Christopher Almeida to what was adjudged to be a majority draw.
And now come news from the New York State Athletic Commission [NYSAC] that the bout result has been changed to a "no contest," and that Almeida has forfeited his purse and has been levied a monetary penalty of $10,000 after it obtained “evidence of adverse analytic findings” in his urine.
NYSAC’s Consent Order to the case shared with the Echo reads: “Respondent [Almeida] admits the allegations and violations set forth herein, and affirms that all violations alleged by the Commission have been, or will be rectified, in accordance with the terms set forth herein:
“Respondent made a material misstatement to the Commission on, inter alia, a pre-bout disclosure regarding the use of multiple prohibited and banned substances, including performance enhancing drugs, in violation of NY GBL § 1007(4); and Respondent failed to disclose to Commission physicians the use of multiple prohibited and banned substances, including performance enhancing drugs, in violation of 19 NYCRR § 208.6(a).”
Notified of the Commission’s action, an irate Bradaigh, whose pro ledger has been reset to 0-0, said: “I think PED [performance-enhancing drug] cheats should lose their bouts and not be given the gift of a ‘no contest.’ They should have 100% give me the win. Yeah. But I guess that's not how it works."
O’Bradaigh has been prioritizing other matters in his life since his debut but is likely to return to the ring in the new year.
He's a former amateur standout, previously ranked #8 nationally at light heavyweight. The 23-year-old turned pro after completing his bachelor’s degree in real estate finance at New York University last December.
Bradaigh was an amateur champion in both middleweight and Elite 176-pound divisions. Back in April 2023, he had close to 300 supporters at Madison Square Garden when he decisioned Israel Bailey to win the Ring Masters/Golden Gloves middleweight novice final.
He’d later move up a weight class to win the Elite 176 pound title in the 2023 New York Boxing Tournament. He was also a 2024 Ring Masters 176 Elite finalist, a three-time National semifinalist -- twice in the U.S. and once in Ireland – and a 2024 Olympic trials competitor.
