YET again, Jason Quigley wasted no time in getting the job done.
The second round was just 81 seconds old when the Ballybofey man turned the lights out on Tom Howard in their super-middleweight contest at the LA Sports Arena last Saturday night.
It was just another night at the office.
Scheduled for six rounds, Quigley – for the seventh time in his seven professional fights – got the job done well inside the distance on a night that saw Howard stopped for the first time in his pro career.
None of Howard Reece, Fernando Najera, Greg McCoy, Lanny Dardar, Tolutomi Agunbiade, Joshua Snyder and Howard have reached the final bell with Quigley, now rated as the best prospect on the books of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
“As soon as I get into that ring, that’s when I go to my office,” says the 24-year-old.
“That’s when I put my head down, I focus and I go to work. Every guy in that ring with me is there to take a dream away from me.
“I always prepare to go to the scorecard at every fight, but once I see a weakness and opportunity I have to take him out.
“Boxing is one of those sports where there are no second chances. No do-overs. You just gotta take that chance. And, it’s a good feeling to know that you can take that chance over the course of a fight with one shot.
“I love what I do and I love the life that I’m living. I’m blessed to be where I am.”
In his first year as a professional boxer, residing in Marina Del Rey, Quigley is living the boyhood dreams that first appeared while the family lived in a compact flat in Donegal town.
A day short of the one-year anniversary of his debut win over Reece at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Quigley made light work of Howard on Saturday night before 5,000 fans in Downtown L.A.
Early in the bout, Quigley rocked the Mississippi native back with a stiff left jab and picked him off at will.
As he rested on the stool at the end of the opening round, Howard looked in severe trouble – and Quigley knew it.
Ten seconds into the second round, Quigley dropped Howard to the Canvas and there was surprise when the American survived the count.
The roof soon caved in for Howard as Quigley’s demolition job was well underway.
A right-left-right combination sent Howard tumbling again and although he resumed after the 10-count, it merely delayed the inevitable. With another quick-fire three-punch volley, Howard (now 8-4) was gone and the referee, Thomas Taylor, was in to confirm Quigley as the victor.
The former World silver medalist said: “I’m an early pro with only seven fights. It’s shows how hard I’m working in the gym.
“We’re really working on combinations and breaking opponents down.
“That was a six-round fight and I was ready to go the distance – that’s why I worked the body early. His hands went down and hurt him to the head. I went straight for the body again to take his hands down. Everything I do, I do for a reason.”
Quigley was again backed by a large Donegal support with his girlfriend, April McManus, as well as close friends Conor Scanlon and Kevin Gillespie, among those at ringside to cheer on Donegal’s Golden Boy.
With an unblemished 7-0 (7 KOs) record, Quigley, who tipped the scaled at 161.6lbs last Friday, is expected back in action this autumn as De La Hoya looks to take the undefeated Donegal ace up the pecking order.
Keeping busy in the paid ranks is hardly daunting for a man who blitzed the amateur business in 2013, winning Irish and European senior titles before winning silver that October in the World Championships.
Snapped up by Golden Boy in April 2014, staying active is the aim of the game for Quigley, who is managed by Sheer Sports.
He said: “I’m on the fast track. It’s been what I’ve been used to as an amateur. I had five fights in seven days at the World Championships but right now it’s seven fights in a year. It’s seven fights and seven KOs so I can’t ask for any better.”
“It’s been amazing to come to LA, such a long way from home and have people like Sheer Sports behind me. I feel like I’ve walked into another family here having people like this behind me. That’s part of the reason I perform so well. If you’re settled and comfortable outside the ring, you’ll show it inside the ring too.”
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