Duddy, Strickland in NYC

Promoted by Irish Ropes, it will be Duddy's last New York appearance in a while because he will fight in Ireland next time out.

Duddy, holder of the IBA world and WBC Continental Americas middleweight championships, currently has a 19-0 (15) log, and his opponent has an impressive 18-1-1 (7) record. They will be fighting in the ten round main event.

Also appearing will be undefeated prospects, Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, 11-0 (10), Pawel "Raging Bull" Wolak, 14-0 (9), 2004 Irish National Senior amateur champion Henry Coyle, 1-0 (1), and 3-time U.S. National Champion Eileen Olszewski, 2-0 (0).

Duddy has done his homework. He has watched tapes of Strickland.

"He's very cagey, but he throws lots of punches," said Duddy. "I don't know but we think he's a righty turned. The way he comes on he squares up a lot so we'll be doing a lot of body work and head movement and hopefully we can break him down."

Duddy, from Derry, Ireland, and now residing in Queens, New York, understands that he is the step-up opponent for Strickland, but Duddy does not think that will change the way he will approach this fight.

"No, I'm looking at him as though he were Yory Boy or Bonsante or any body else," explained Duddy. "He's another hurdle for me."

Strickland recognizes Duddy as a step up: "It's a challenge. It's something that I've been waiting for a long time," said the Slidell, Los Angeles resident. "It's my time to prevail."

"I believe I'm going to do the same thing John did, by letting the knockout come," said Peter Quillin when this reporter reminded him that Duddy KO'd Victor Paz, Quillin's foe Friday night, in a round back in 2004. "If it comes in the first, it will come in the first. I'm going out there and do what I usually do. If it goes the six rounds, I guarantee it will be an exciting fight to watch."

PR guru Bob Trieger pointed out the ethnic variety that exists on the card. He said that fans come to cheer for their fighter whether he is Irish, polish, Hispanic or from any other ethnic group and often find themselves cheering for the other guy.

"Fight fans cross over," said Trieger quoting Pawel Wolak. "The Polish fans might come there to root for him, Irish fans may come to root for John, but after they see the action, they're just fight fans and they root for all sides.

"That's, I guess, what it's all about here in New York boxing," observed Trieger.