BOXING:European champion Bernard Dunne and his manager, Brian Peters, have never been ones to dive into their next challenge without due diligence.
Although the name of Spaniard Kiko Martinez is the name on everyone's lips at the moment for Dunne's next super bantamweight defence of his belt, neither fighter nor manager was committed to declaring that the 21-year-old from Valencia will be Dunne's next opponent. But nor were they denying it.
"Possibly (Martinez)," said Peters after Sunday night's third-round win over Kazakhstan's Versin Jailauov. "We'll be talking to EBU officials this week. He's the mandatory challenger so . . . let's get tonight out of the way first."
One of Dunne's issues with his next bout is not only who it is going to be but also where it is going to take place. Now a proven draw and able to sell out the 7,000-seat Point Depot, the Neilstown fighter will probably have one more opportunity to fight in the Dublin venue before it closes for renovation this summer. That leaves his team with a number of options including the RDS, Belfast or abroad in the mid to long term.
"We took a bit of a gamble on a Sunday night this time," said Peters. "Venues are so short, we didn't have a lot of choice really. We've looked at the RDS, Belfast, or Bernard could end up fighting in Germany again."
While Dunne's destruction of Jailauov in his first defence indicates that he is well ahead of the rest in Europe, he's not rushing into anything bigger just yet. Caution and common sense have been a trademark of his progress to date, although his camp also understands that supporters may soon grow weary of third-round KOs.
"I wouldn't say I'm too good for guys in Europe," said Dunne. "We've obviously shown that we are the best in Europe right now but we've still probably a little bit to go. I mean I'll tell you now that I want to go for a world title next week."
Few would disagree but the name of Martinez has kept coming up. The current boy wonder of Spanish boxing has put together a perfect 15-0 record having made his professional debut just three months after his 18th birthday. Only three of his fights have gone the distance and nine have lasted only three rounds, so he can clearly hit hard. He is also nakedly chasing Dunne's European belt.
"If Bernard vacates now is Martinez going to say he's doing a runner," said Harry Hawkins, Dunne's trainer.
"Look at all of the champions in this weight division. They are all older than I am, 30 years of age," said Dunne. "So there's a lot more fights . . . maybe at the end of the year (world title). It's about positioning yourself and getting yourself up there. I'm in the top 10 now. It's all little gradual steps, maybe get in the top five and hopefully get an automatic nomination and perhaps by the end of the year we'll get a deal."
If the EBU officials say that Martinez's mandatory challenge must be accommodated, then the Spaniard will be Dunne's next opponent and a dangerous one at that.
Not only would Dunne against Martinez provide a big draw but also Jim Rock has again been mooted as an opponent for the New York-based Derry fighter John Duddy. At 35 Rock is in the twilight of his career but the Irish middleweight finds himself among several quality middleweights including Duddy and Detroit-based Andy Lee.
"If the Duddy fight came I would take it," said Rock after his KO of Szabolcs Rimovszky.
"But I was meant to fight Duddy last year. They came over and agreed to fight us last September, then they changed it and didn't send over contracts, so they tried to mess us around. We pulled the plug. But if they want to get the fight on, I'll fight anyone. Duddy, though, probably thinks he's bigger fish to fry than me."
