It’s officially ‘strap season’ as Jason Quigley landed the NABF middleweight belt tonight in Indio.
By Chris McNulty, ringside at Fantasy Springs, Indio
It wasn’t quite how he might’ve wished it, but Quigley is the new NABF middleweight champion thanks to a unanimous decision win over Glen Tapia at Fantasy Springs.
In a sold-out, compact arena, Quigley had to overcome not only a rugged Tapia, but an injury to his right hand in the second round.
Quigley, though, captured the belt after taking the 100-99, 99-91, 98-92 decision of the ringside judges.
The win takes Quigley to 13-0 as a pro as he went the ten-round distance for the first time as a pro.
Quigley was well in command in the early rounds and, at one point, Tapia looked in real trouble.
A stoppage appeared imminent. Tapia was rocked a couple of times in the first round and seemed unsteady in the second when Quigley connected with a blistering blow to the body.
The crimson was coming from Tapia, but the ‘Jersey Boy’, who had suffered two career-damaging losses in his last two visits to the canvas, came out strong in the middle stanzas.
He shaded a couple of those but Quigley, even if he was inhibited by that damaged right hand, regained the hold by the last two rounds, by now the Ballybofey man was sporting a swollen left eye.
Tapia sensed that he needed a knockout and came out swinging hard, but Quigley used the jab well and it was he was atop the ropes and punching the air as that first pro belt is headed back to Donegal.
It was a focussed Quigley that took to the ring in a black boots, white gloves and black trunks, as usual embossed with the name of his late grandfather Bobby and the now-famous % symbol. This time there was the addition of the name of Andy Quigley, his grand-uncle who died recently.
Quigley was led to the to a rousing, inspiring chorus of The Foggy Dew, by the bodhrán playing Máirtín De Cógáin.
That De La Hoya, who won ten world titles across six weights, and Golde Boy saw fit to have Quigley as the headline fight on this card, the maiden ‘Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN’ event, outlined the esteem in which the Donegal puncher is held.
Pre-fight, De La Hoya, who promotes around 80 boxers, said he ranked Quigley in his ‘top five’ prospects.
Quigley was no stranger to big days in a stellar amateur career that included a World silver medal, three European golds (elite, under-22 and youth) and ten Irish titles from schoolboy to elite levels.
This, though, has topped them all, even if it was a fight that he’ll have plenty to learn from and improve on.
The NABF had paved a path for a fine list of previous winners – among them Andy Lee. In 2011, Lee captured this belt with a win over Alex Bunema.
David Lemieux and Kelly Pavlik, like Lee, went onto win world titles after winning the NABF middleweight crown, also held at a stage by Curtis Stevens and Fernando Guerrero.
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