JASON Quigley has been tipped by one of boxing leading figures to be ‘better than ever’ in 2020.
Since suffering a shock first pro defeat last July, Quigley has bounced back with two KO wins.
Quigley was dethroned as the NABF middleweight champion by Tureano Johnson, but recent wins over Abraham Cordero and Fernando Marin have lifted his stock again.
The Ballybofey man (18-1, 14KOs) is back in the top 15 of the WBC world rankings and Golden Boy Promotions Matchmaker Roberto Diaz believes that Quigley’s time is coming.
“With Jason, it’s just a matter of a couple of fights,” Diaz said.
“We need a couple of fights to again build the relationship with him and Andy Lee and putting that Tureano fight back in that rearview mirror where it’s: ‘I don’t even remember it any more’.
“Looking forward to the future, in a couple of fights, Jason can really turn it around. He has the experience from the amateurs so it is’t too long of a process.
“Obviously, Jason is 27 years old in a stacked division where there is so much potential out there of big fights for him.”
Quigley – who is now trained by former world champion Andy Lee – stopped Cordero in Costa Mesa, California in early December, but kept the tools sharpened in Donegal over Christmas.
The Sheer Sports Management fighter trained with Gary McCullagh at Raphoe ABC during the festive period to ensure he was ready when an early call came last month.
Quigley went back to The Hangar in Costa Mesa and stopped Marin in the third round.
Diaz said: “For the first time in the holidays, he didn’t just sit down and say: ‘I just fought, I’m going to enjoy the holidays’.
“He maintained training, even though he didn’t have a fight schedule. That shows the hunger, decision he has and what he wants to do in 2020.”
Quigley was snapped up by Golden Boy after a breakout year in 2013 when he was the European champion and the World silver medalist.
Diaz is a long-time admirer of Quigley and sees big days on the horizon.
He said: “This year is very important for his growth, for his confidence and to show the world: ‘I had a trip, I learned from it and now you guys are going to sees who Jason Quigley really is’.
“He’s coming back hungrier and he’ll be better than ever.”
Lee is keen to get his fighter a bout in New York in April, possibly on the undercard of a yet-to-be-confirmed Katie Taylor bout.
Quigley said after his latest win: “I know people have been doubting me and I doubted myself at times. I went downhill in terms of the boxing world. It took a lot of change and a lot of people that I love standing by me.
“I had a great chat with Eric Gomez after the fight and I want to thank them for standing by me.”
Quigley, too, is not shy about outlining his own ambitions. In the seconds after his win over Marin, Quigley spoke at ringside to Golden Boy President Gomez.
The Donegal man has some of the world’s top boxers in his sights.
He said: “The best middleweight in the world is Canelo Alvarez. For me to be the best I have beat the likes of him.
“There are stepping stones to getting there. At the end of my career, I want to have been in with the best and tested myself. I want to come away saying that I ruled the middleweight division and come away with fulfilment.”
