What's Next For Bernard Dunne?

Following the heroics of last month, Bernard Dunne has been left with a number of options for his next fight. Being able to make champion’s demands he will surely sniff out the best deal possible, and rightly so. What’s the point in being a world champion if you’re not going to make use of the perks that come with it? Now for the possibilities…

Israel Vazquez – The top man of the Super bantamweight division has been out of the ring for quite some time now. Following three bloodbath fights with Rafael Marquez and a detached retina, Vaqzuez has had limited action in the ring with the three aforementioned fights the only bouts he has had in the last two years. This is the fight Dunne and Brian Peters really want, and it certainly makes the most financial sense. According to Dunne the two could fight in September in Las Vegas, in front of a potentially huge. This would be good exposure for Dunne, as Vazquez is a big draw and it could mean topping the bill on Showtime. This is what Dunne has his heart set on, and it is a very tough fight for Bernard even if Vazquez isn’t the man he was before he fought Rafael Marquez.

Celestino Caballero – The full WBA champion who also holds the IBF belt has called out Dunne already, but we haven’t heard anything by way of a response. Caballero is a fight that I think is very attractive on paper and also makes financial sense. The WBA heavyweight full champion Valuev is fighting the ordinary champion Chagaev, so why can’t this happen at Super bantamweight aswell?

Rendall Munroe – The grudge match. Dunne vs. Munroe. Peters vs. Maloney. Ireland vs. England. I would like to see this fight happen, not because it would be a thriller but because it would be great to shut up Frank Maloney once and for all. Before the Cordoba fight he said on live television that Dunne was “simply fighting for the title” and that it would be his last fight. He also insisted that Munroe would beat Dunne, yes the same Munroe who’s next fight is against a guy with a 3-2-1 record. Triangle theorists will tell you that Munroe beats Dunne easily by virtue of how they fared differently against Kiko Martinez, but if anyone thinks those 86 seconds are a good measure of how good Bernard Dunne is they might want to watch the Cordoba fight a few times. Anyone can have an off night, and even if Munroe beat the classic one trick horse Martinez twice, who else has he fought? Tomato cans! Munroe is only the hype work of Frank Maloney, and if he fights Dunne Maloney will be looking elsewhere for an average fighter he can put in with a few journeymen and then claim to be world class.

Steve Molitor – He also called out Dunne, but has a fight scheduled for June. Its unlikely he and Dunne will fight any time soon, and at the moment Bernard would have little to gain from fighting the former IBF champion.

Kiko Martinez – Every Dunne fan wants to see a rematch at some stage, but it won’t happen for a while if it happens at all. Martinez has been beaten twice by Munroe since fighting Dunne, and put in some dismal performances against poor fighters. He was just a fighter who got lucky, and wouldn’t last long against the Dunne that fought Cordoba.

Cristobal Cruz – The IBF featherweight champion wants Dunne, a man with an uninspiring record of 38-11-1. He is beatable, but Dunne couldn’t move straight up to featherweight without a tune-up. It looks as if Dunne will resist the temptation of the chance to become a two weight world champion to instead look for bigger fights at Super bantamweight.

So yes, Bernard Dunne certainly isn’t short on options for his next fight. I would like to see a quick demolition of Munroe as a tune-up for a fight with Caballero, but it seems most likely that we will see Dunne/Vazquez this September. This just might be a FOTY candidate.

Article written by Eoin Cooke