Posted on 03/07/2024
Boxing fans who attend Larry Goldberg’s Boxing Insider Promotions shows at Sony Hall in Manhattan are looking forward to the first appearance of Irish Olympian Emmet Brennan at the venue. It’s also Brennan’s U.S. debut, so excitement is high.
He’s in an eight-round light heavyweight bout against veteran spoiler Devaun Lee, in a feature bout on the March 7 (Thursday) show, which, incidentally, can be seen LIVE via B.I.’s streaming platform.
https://videos.boxinginsider.com
EMMET BRENNAN (Weight: 171-1/2)
Emmet Brennan, who is bound to make an impact in the United States, brings a 2-0 record (one knockout) into his first bout on American shores.
At age 32, he might be a little old for someone who is just getting started in the paid ranks. But he spent a lot of time making a name for himself in the amateur ranks. He’s been plying his trade, so to speak, for the better part of the last twenty years.
His first major title was the Irish U221 (under 221) Championship in 2011. The next year he won the Irish Intermediate title, and eventually progressed to win Irish national titles (open boxing) in 2017 and 2020. It must be pointed out that along the way, he gave up boxing. But after a period of reflection, he decided to bet on himself, taking out a loan and making a bid to get to the Olympic Games.
That road was still rather bumpy. He had won a bout at a 2019 Olympic qualifier in London, but the tourney was then postponed due to the COVID crisis. Then in the next qualifier for the Tokyo Games, which had been postponed until 2021, he was beaten in the quarterfinals, but then had a second life in the European box-offs, where he scored a win against Sweden’s Liridon Nuha, which punched his ticket to Tokyo. That was the fulfillment of a dream, but it didn’t last long, as he lost a three-round decision to Dilshodbek Ruzmetov of Uzbekistan.
Brennan made his pro debut last July in Belfast, winning a shutout six-round decision over Angel Emilov, a veteran of 64 pro bouts. In his only other professional fight, which took place on November 25, he won on an eighth-round TKO over Jamie Morrissey, in the process winning the Boxing Union of Ireland Celtic light heavyweight title. Morrissey was the taller man and that was sometimes a source of frustration for Brennan, but eventually the pressure and the accumulation of punches was too much, and Morrissey’s corner threw in the towel in the eighth and final stanza. For a guy fighting the eight-round distance in just his second pro bout, Emmet’s stamina held up pretty well, as he’s rather economical in his movement.
We’d expect Brennan to try and get inside against the taller Devaun Lee, launching that overhand right.
DEVAUN LEE (Weight: 169-1/4)
If you were looking for an opponent who could really test the mettle of someone who is relatively new to the pro boxing ranks, you couldn’t do much better than Devaun Lee (11-10-1, 6 KO’s), who has seen just about everything in his career, which has taken him far beyond his home in Jamaica, Queens.
Lee is no stranger to amateur boxing, including national tournaments. In fact, he went to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Championships in 2010, losing to Rob Brant, who later became a middleweight champion in the pro ranks.
Lee made his pro debut in September 2013 with a four-round majority decision over Jerrod Caldwell. In his first nine pro fights, he fought six undefeated fighters, compiling a 3-2-1 record in those bouts.
Maybe Lee’s best win as a pro took place in March 2016, a ten-round majority decision over Christopher Galeano to win the New York middleweight title. Lee has went into the ring with eleven unbeaten opponents overall, and has come out with four wins.
This guy have a very good chin and an instinct for survival, although he is not a runner. He has been stopped inside the distance only once, as Shane Mosley Jr. stopped him in five rounds as part of the TV series “The Contender.”
Lee had the opportunity to play a real spoiler last March, and cashed in, stopping undefeated (11-0-1) Kiante Irving in Pittsburgh. His last fight took place in August, as he lost a six-round decision to Daniel Blancas. Of course, Blancas was unbeaten (6-0).
Lee, age 36, presents a challenge with his height (6’0″), and style (he’s gone southpaw intermittently) and has fought 127 rounds as a pro, which creates quite a disparity between himself and Brennan. And there is no quit in this guy, so Brennan has to be ready to go the whole route.
Tickets are priced at $150, $200 and $325, and are available at Ticketweb (https://www.ticketweb.com/event/boxing-insider-live-professional-boxing-sony-hall-tickets/13430053). Sony Hall is located at 235 W 46th Street in Manhattan.
For those who can’t experience the event at Sony Hall, the March 7 show will be shown, free of charge, LIVE and on-demand on BoxingInsider’s steaming platform (https://videos.boxinginsider.com).