Heading to the top. The old-fashioned way.
That is the climb that John Joe Carrigan and his team are aiming to undertake.
The teen sensation is going to be something special, though given his amateur achievements, including winning the World U19 title aged 17, you could argue that he already is.
Carrigan has made a flying start as a professional boxer, winning his first three fights, all in a blink of an eye.
The 19-year-old will be looking to chalk up win number four in Dublin on Saturday, August 1, when he meets Ireland’s Sean Murray on an event staged by Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions.
Carlisle lad Carrigan is based in the Headland ABC gym in Hartlepool, where Savannah Marshall honed her skills under Tim Coulter.
John Joe is trained in this very historic part of the town by his old England coach John Stubbs, who with Sunderland’s Anth Kelly, forms Tenacity Boxing.
Stubbs believes JJC can go all the way but says he and Lee Eaton, the head of boxing at Queensberry Promotions, are adamant that winning the British title is a compulsory stop on the journey for the light-middleweight, or super-welter if you are younger than this writer.
“Me and Lee would love to do it the traditional route,” the coach told punch-lines. “It would be good to target the Northern Area and English titles next year and then maybe look to do one or two international belts.
“We’d like John Joe to be fighting for the British title on or around his 21st birthday.”
Punch-lines must admit that we were totally oblivious to the ruling that a boxer must be 21 to contest the Lord Lonsdale belt. Every day is a school day eh?
A Northern Area title would be a wonderful occasion for North-East England, if anyone in the region was willing to give it a go.
Punch-lines admires the focus of Tenacity and Queensberry that Carrigan will be built up the right way, even if the boxer himself is in a hurry, in more ways than one.
John Joe has raced through all three opponents to date – Poland’s Dawid Przybylsky lasted 176 seconds on JJC’s debut at Braehead Arena in Glasgow back in October, while Harley Hodgetts was blown away even quicker last time out, also in Scotland.
In between in Manchester in March, Danny Costello took Carrigan into the third round before being halted.
“John Joe wants to stop everyone who is put in front of him,” said Stubbs.
“He’s just turned 19 and he’s still a young man.
“Everyone is saying he’s going to be brilliant, and John Joe wants to be let loose.
“He wants to prove what people are saying about him is right.
“I also believe he is an incredible talent who can achieve great things, but I want to get there in a controlled manner.”
The Stubbs mantra is absolutely correct.
While talent flows through Carrigan’s veins, he is still shy of one thing – minutes inside the professional ring.
Murray could be the man to take the ex-Border City ABC talent the furthest he has been so far as a boxer.
The fighter, from Navan, has won three of his eight contests and took hard-hitting Hassan Azim five rounds in London earlier this year.
“On paper, John Joe’s other opponents had good records but were despatched very quickly,” explained Stubbs.
“Murray’s record might not be as good, but he’s a tough fella and I feel he might come to have a bit of a fight.
“Hassan Azim is Adam Azim’s brother and is a massive puncher but Murray never looked fazed.
“It was a bit of a war.
“Even if John Joe’s fight with him doesn’t go the distance, I’ll be very surprised if it is a one-punch stoppage.”
Warren described him as “stellar” in the amateur game as he swept all aside by winning two European titles before striking World U19 Championships in America at just 17-years young.
Carrigan had no dreams of Olympic glory, just turning professional with Stubbs and Hartlepool his only destination for chasing global success as a pro.
So good is John Joe that his manager is Boxing Hall of Fame member, Shelly Finkel (pictured above with Stubbs left and John Joe right), the American who guided the careers of Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder.
Words Roy Kelly
