Timmy Egan’s first fight of the new year pits him against Kevin Torres for the 165-pound Six Borough Championship at Stereo Garden, located at 9 Railroad Ave., in Patchogue, Long Island, on Jan. 17. Tickets are available at www.strongislandfights.com.
The 31-year-old Dundalk transplant aims to add the SBC belt to his name before starting his quest for another MSG Boxing Ring Masters title.
He bagged the Ring Masters 165-pound novice title last year.
“I'm looking forward to getting back in the ring and having a good year,” Egan, who represents the Queens-based Bua Boxing Club, told the Echo. “Last year I was active. I had nine fights. This year I want to double those numbers and aim for 20 -- and fight as much as possible, starting with this one and starting off the year with a bang.
“I want to get a win and then enter the Ringmasters and go for the 165 Elite title. So, yeah, back-to-back Ring Masters and the SBC. That's my plan. That's what I'm going towards -- I'm training a lot.”
In Torres, Egan faces a standout member of the Hill Street Boxing Club in Southampton, Long Island. Torres is a two-time SBC champion.
“Kevin’s won it twice. It’s the only amateur belt that is defended like [in] the pros,” Egan, pointed out. “So, I beat Kevin, I'll have to defend that title, so I look forward to that. It's a really unique event.
“I feel good. I’ve been training well with [trainer] Donal [Ward], and yeah, we have this focus since my last fight was a defeat. But during that time, I wasn't in the right mind frame and yeah I feel a lot better now. I feel motivated.”
That defeat was at the hands of Fabian Cordero last October in Egan’s bid for the 165-pound US Boxing Metropolitan Championship. The Irishman was making his debut in the metros after two byes in the competition. It dropped his amateur record to 9-3.
PADDY SETBACK
Irish welterweight contender Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan, who’s co-managed by New York attorney Keith Sullivan has withdrawn from his scheduled Jan. 16 International Boxing Federation [IBF] world title eliminator with Liam Paro in Australia due to illness. Donovan was sidelined for more than three weeks.
The winner between the #2 rated Paro and #3 Donovan would have been designated as the mandatory challenger to IBF welterweight champion Lewis “The Croc” Crocker [22-0, 11 KOs], who inflicted two highly disputed and heartbreaking losses on Donovan in Belfast last year. Over the two fights, Donovan won 18 of 20 rounds versus Crocker only to lose by disqualification the first time, and by split points in the rematch.
“I’m extremely disappointed to have to withdraw from the fight,” Donovan said. “I was confident of beating Paro. I missed three weeks of training due to illness and my coach, Andy (Lee), took the decision out of my hands. I want to apologize to all the fans in Australia who were looking forward to the fight. I will be back stronger in 2026. I wish Paro well and hope that we can fight in the future.”
“If we don’t learn from our mistakes then we are doomed to repeat them,” added Lee, who co-manages Donovan with Sullivan. “I’ve been in this situation before with my other boxers and it never goes well. There was no way Paddy could train and fight with the viral chest and respiratory infection he had, so I made the decision to pull him out of the fight. Paddy is still one of the best welterweights in the world with a huge future in the sport.”
Donovan expects to be back in training soon and to be back in the ring by late March.
