Owen O’Neill feels that Paul Ryan disrespected him, but says there’s no point in getting upset because the pair will never fight.
Ryan has publicly criticized the Belfast fighter, claiming two fight offers were rejected and accusing Team O’Neill of saving his fighter from a bad beating.
O’Neill, who says he would have no problem fighting the European Schoolboy medal winner, admits his team doesn’t want the fight, but points out that it’s because they want him to keep going down the ladder and not because they don’t like it. their chances against the trained talent of Pete Taylor.
New manager Mark Dunlop wants ‘Triple O’ to fight at light welterweight and therefore doesn’t see the point in building a fight with light middleweight Ryan.
“Not much was said about me,” he says when asked about the talk between Ryan and O’Neill.
“He basically called me and said he was looking to improve my record. I think he disrespected me a little bit because everyone knows what it’s like when you’re starting out in your professional career, you have to fight this and that.
“It all depends on my manager Mark who I fight. I think his team offered the fight to Mark, but Mark just signed me. He hadn’t even gone six rounds yet, so Mark obviously said no. Mark also thinks I’m fighting at the wrong weight. Mark told me that I was not allowed to share anything or comment, he said that there was no point because I will not fight him and I will lose a weight.
It’s all pretty calm and logical in ‘The Operator,’ although he was a little upset that Ryan made fun of his record.
“Then he ends up fighting a guy that I fought my fourth fight with, so listen, I know what you have to do when you’re starting your pro career, you have to fight officials and gain experience. I think he disrespected me a little, but we’re not going to fight.”
A fight with Eddie Treacy seems more likely for Ryan at this stage, but O’Neill is willing to share the ring with the Dubliner. In fact, it sounds like he’d relish the opportunity to do it behind closed doors with the former minor fan standout.
“I would fight him, but Mark says he wants me at super lightweight. If you fancy a little combat, you can come and I’ll do it no problem and we’ll see how it goes. It would be a good scrap. I’m not one to say ‘I’ll take the block away’, but it would be a good fight.”
The fact that the Dee Walsh-trained fighter is being called out by a fighter who had a lot more publicity around him in the fans and a lot more expectations around him when he turned around is not lost on O’Neill.
The Belfast boxer, who fights on TG4 this weekend, sees it as a compliment and proof that he has done a lot of things right to date. He, too, appreciated the publicity Ryan’s calls gave him.
“He is a European Schoolboy medal winner and I had 18 amateur fights and won nothing, so anything is good for me, someone like him is getting my attention. It’s good publicity like he’s everywhere.”
O’Neill fights in front of television cameras on the Eric Donovan undercard…
