Jamie Power hopes to see off ‘The Storm’ at the O2

LIMERICK light-heavyweight Jamie Power faces the biggest test of his fledgling professional career when he takes on another undefeated fighter Michael ‘The Storm’ Sweeney on the undercard of Bernard Dunne’s world title fight at The 02 in Dublin this Saturday night - Power and Sweeney will be looking to make a major breakthrough in their own careers when they clash over eight scheduled rounds in an All-Irish duel.
The twenty-eight-year-old Power, from Norwood Park, has won all six of his professional bouts to date while his Mayo-born opponent Sweeney boasts a record of seven wins and a draw in the pro ranks.
The pair won a host of titles in the amateur ranks and have both enjoyed promising starts to their professional careers.
Power’s last fight ended in victory over Lithuanian fighter Kirilas Psonko at the National Basketball Arena in Dublin in July. And, the ex-St Francis Boxing Club amateur Power says he’s relishing the opportunity to perform on the same card as Bernard Dunne, the WBA Super Bantamweight champion, who has his first defence of his title against number one contender Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym from Thailand.
“This is the kind of fight I was looking for,” Limerick’s Jamie Power revealed.
“I’m 28 now and I have a young family and a full time job, so I don’t want to be wasting my time as a pro with meaningless fights. This is a proper fight, two unbeaten Irish guys willing to put their records on the line to move on in their careers and to have it on a World title card at The O2 is the icing on the cake.
“I was there when Bernard won the title in March and the atmosphere was something else, so I can’t wait to actually fight there this time around.
“I know it will be a very tough fight and it will be a classic boxer versus fighter affair. I’ve sparred Michael before so I know what to expect.
“He’ll probably be looking to outbox me, but I’m happy to take a few punches as long as I get in range myself to do some damage. It might take me a few rounds to start closing him down but I’m confident that the longer it goes the stronger I’ll become. It’s going to be a real war but I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
Despite enjoying a busy start to his pro career with seven fights in his first year as a pro Sweeney has only had one fight in the past 12 months and he says he’s aiming to take that frustration out on Power.
“It’s been a very difficult year for me,” admitted Michael Sweeney.
“I’ve only had one fight due to injuries and empty promises of fights that never materialised, so it’s great now to have a date and a big fight to focus on. The fact that it will be on a big World title card at The O2 makes it all the sweeter and I’m determined to make up for the past year with a big performance. It should be a great fight between two unbeaten Irish guys. These kind of fights don’t happen all that often, we both have good amateur pedigree and we’re both at around the same stage in our pro careers so we match up well. We sparred about a year ago so I know his style and I have a game plan. I’m sure he will have his own plan as well but we’ll see on the night. I’m full of confidence right now and this could be just the break I was looking for.”

Colm Kinsella