by Stephen Moore/Photo by Steve Wellings | Wed. July 20, 2011

Irish boxing is in for a busy few months on the international stage as the three leading lights of the scene continue their push towards world honours. The prevailing theme will be redemption, as Ireland’s highest ranked boxers look to make amends in their own way for blots on their various copybooks.

Brian Magee will be first up as he takes on Jaime Barboza for the WBA Interim Super Middleweight World Title on July 30th. Magee’s last outing saw him put on a brave, but ultimately doomed, display in losing to all conquering, Lucian Bute, in Montreal back in March. Bute was given more than he bargained for on the night, though, and Magee gave him some scares along the way before the ferocious body punching of the Canada based Romanian saw the fight stopped in the 10th round.

It was a much better showing than many expected and it has earned Magee another crack at world honours. It looked for a while as though the fight would be for the WBA full title but after some back and forth Magee will have to settle for a shot at the interim belt. 36 year old Magee has only ever been stopped by WBC supremo and Super Six finalist, Carl Froch, and Bute. The defeat to Froch in 2006 was the first of Magee’s career, and his form dipped following the fight as he struggled to grind out results against some very limited opposition.

For a time it looked as though the Belfast boxer's time had come and gone, but he has since shaken off the post Froch malaise and revitalised his career. An 8th round stoppage over previously unbeaten Steve McGuire secured the British Title, before Magee travelled to Denmark and proceeded to destroy Mads Larsen in seven rounds to claim the EBU crown.

Magee has shown he is willing to travel and he does so again to the tropical climes of Costa Rica. The soaring temperatures may be a big factor as many Irish fighters have suffered in those alien conditions before. Magee is a battle hardened road warrior, though, and should have more than enough to see off the moderately talented Barboza, and put himself back in line for another chance at full world title glory.

Paul McCloskey will be the next to hit the ring as he has just announced his showdown with Amir Khan’s nemesis, Breidis Prescott, as he looks to fire himself back into the limelight and gain another crack at the world title. McCloskey will have home advantage as the Dungiven fighter will take to the ring at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast for this official WBA World Title Eliminator.

McCloskey's last outing ended in miserable fashion as his WBA World Light Welterweight fight with Amir Khan was stopped by the ringside physician after an innocuous looking cut opened on his left eye. It is almost unanimously agreed that the stoppage was unnecessary, and the Irishman had every reason to be miffed with not being allowed continue.

However, the unanimous 60-54 technical decision from each of the three judge’s scorecards was also agreed upon by onlookers. McCloskey was way behind in the fight and didn’t look like he was troubling Khan. A heavy points defeat was probably all that awaited the man they call Dudey if the fight had continued.

Now he has the chance to redeem himself against the man who destroyed Amir Khan in front of his home fans in the space of 54 seconds, prior to Khan’s rise to the top. However, since then Prescott has suffered two defeats and was comprehensively outboxed by Londoner Kevin Mitchell eighteen months ago. McCloskey will learn a lot from studying the tape of that fight as Mitchell’s tactics of raiding from the outside and making Prescott miss are just what will be required this time around.

McCloskey and his team are well aware of this, though, and he admitted as much at the press conference earlier today.

“This is an eliminator for the WBA world title. I have to be on my game. He is a very dangerous fighter. He might not be the best boxer, and what he has in power he lacks in skill. I am confident I can out box him, but if I stand and toe to toe with him I could wake up with a few bruises the next morning” said a confident looking McCloskey.

Victory here could see him get a second crack at Amir Khan if the Bolton boxer overcomes Zab Judah, as is expected, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. McCloskey’s showdown with Prescott will take place on September 10th and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Elsewhere, Lou DiBella has announced that the oft mentioned rematch between Andy Lee and Brian Vera will be confirmed next week, as the Limerick native looks to avenge the only defeat his career. Much has been expected of Lee since he turned pro, but he has not delivered as much as anticipated. It was Vera who set Lee’s career back as he recovered from a first round knockdown to stop Lee on his feet in round seven of scheduled ten back in 2008, with the Irishman well head on all three judges scorecards.

It was a particularly damaging loss for Lee as it was his first big headline fight live on American TV. Lee returned home in the aftermath to try and steady the ship and fought in his native Limerick on three occasions before turning his attentions back to the bright lights of the US boxing scene. In a hot division, America is the place to be if you want to propel yourself into title contention and that is just what Lee has done.

It hasn’t been an easy road back though, and he was matched with previously unbeaten Scotsman, Craig McEwen, back in March in a make or break clash for the rangy southpaw. It looked as though it would be the latter for Lee heading into the final two rounds of the fight as a sluggish performance had allowed McEwen to sneak ahead on the cards. Lee had spent all night loading up on single shots with his right hand while McEwen had thrown punches in bunches. Lee went to the well in the closing stages and, ironically, it was a straight left that had McEwen down in the 9th round.

Lee sensed it was there for the taking and he landed some heavy leather in the tenth and final round, and sent the plucky Scot crashing to the canvas with another big left hand and referee, Steve Smoger, waved it off immediately. Lee had won the day in a brutal war of attrition and saved his career to boot.

He now has the chance, which he has repeatedly said he wanted, to set the record straight for the single blemish on his record. “The main reason this bout was made is because Andy has been insisting on it. He has been on a mission to get a Vera rematch for a long time now” said DiBella when unveiling his plans for the fight.

He will have a fine stage to do it on as DiBella said the fight will be on the Sergio Martinez -v- Darren Barker WBC Diamond Middleweight World Title fight in Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City on October 1st. An impressive performance in front of the cameras from Lee might persuade the kingmakers to give the Irishman the World Title shot he’s craved for the last five years since turning pro.