Local favorite “Irish” Joey McCreedy has overcome a double fracture of his jaw. For years, he’s fought in the boxing shadows of Lowell fighting icons, “Irish” Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund, but now, perhaps, he faces his toughest challenge in a crossroads fight March 16 at Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.
“CFC Fight Night” is presented by Chicago Fight Clubs Promotion. Doors open at 7 p.m. ET, first bout scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
McCreedy (13-6-2, 6 KOs), who is trained by Eklund, takes on Canadian-invader Michael “Flash” Walchuk (9-8, 2 KOs) in the eight-round main event for the vacant Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) US-Northeast light heavyweight title.
Amin for the vacant United States Boxing Organization super middleweight crown. The pressure is on McCreedy because he lost his last fight, also in Lowell, this past May to Shujaa El
“This fight is so important to me because, after my last fight, if I lose my career is done,” McCreedy explained. “I want it bad and everything’s on the line for me. I’ve been working hard, practically killing myself, for the past 10 weeks in camp. I don’t want to look back and wonder what if, or what could have been. I’ve never wanted anything as bad as this fight. Weight has been a problem for me but this fight is at 175 pounds and I didn’t balloon in weight after my last fight. I’m on weight now and in great shape. I’m really focused on this fight.
“Nothing could have gone worse in my last fight. We had a bad training camp without sparring and I had to lose too much weight. Anything that could go bad did go bad. I was disappointed but can’t go back and change it. There’s nothing worse than losing your hometown. I really wanted to win that fight but everything happens for a reason. That’s why I’ve worked so hard for this fight; I’m ready to rock and roll. I’m going to show everybody that I still have it. Some people look at me as a loser, that I’m washed up, all done. I’m going to show them all that they’re wrong. I’ve been working with Dicky and sparred four weeks, eight to 10 rounds every other day with Peter Manfredo, Jr., who was working for a fight coming up. Peter taught me a lot and I’m not fighting anybody as tough as Manfredo”
Walchuk is a past Canadian middleweight title challenger who has been in against Eleider Alvarez, Nick Brinson and Vladine Biosse. “I saw him (Walchuk) fight Biosse and (Thomas) Falowo,” McCreedy added. “He’s a tough kid who comes forward and fights. I’m not judging anybody, I learned that lesson the hard way. I’ll be ready. I know that I can’t lose this fight.”
The 10-round co-feature matches recent world title challenger Osumanu Adama (20-3, 15 KOs), rated No. 12 in the world by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 5 by the IBO, and Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer (30-14, 16 KOs), winner of The Contender II television reality series, for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas, IBO Intercontinental and UBF Inter-Continental middleweight titles.
Last year in his last fight, Ghana-native Adama unsuccessfully challenged IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale (26-1) in Australia, dropping a 12-round decision in Geale’s country. Adama’s most notable victories have been over former world champion Roman Karmazin (TKO9), Marcus Upshaw (TKO4), and Angel Hernandez (DEC12). Adama is a former United States Boxing Association (USBA), USBO, and IBO International middleweight title holder.
Former World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion “Vicious” Vivian Harris (29-9-2, 19 KOs) faces battle-tested veteran Shakha Moore (11-18-3, 2 KOs), fighting out of Norwalk (CT), in an eight round bout.
Slated to fight in six-round fights are Quincy (MA) light heavyweight Chris Traietti (10-3, 6 KOs), an Iraq War veteran, against Tyler Seever (13-12-1, 11 KOs), of Saint Louis (MO); exciting Lawrence (MA) junior middleweight Eddie “Thunder” Caminero (7-7, 7 KOs and undefeated welterweight Georgia native Levan “The Wolf” Ghvamichva (8-0, 6 KOs) face opponents to be determined.
Also scheduled to fight on the undercard in four-round bouts are Chicago heavyweight Boban Simic (1-0, 1 KO) versus Boston-s pro-debuting Tyler King, U.S. Marine Jimmy Smith (0-0, 1 NC) meets Joshua “El Guerrero” Rivera (0-2), and Lowell bantamweight Mike Martin makes his professional debut in a fight with. Josh Crespo (0-2), of New Haven (CT).
