Just three months after their last visit to these shores, Frank Warren and BoxNation will return to Belfast in February for what promises to be another sensational night of action.
Home talents Declan Geraghty (14-1, 4KOs) and James Tennyson (17-2, 13KOs) will throw down in a feverishly anticipated Dublin vs Belfast showdown for the vacant Irish super-featherweight title, on another roof-raising card which will also feature one of the island's heaviest hitters in Philip Sutcliffe Jr, world-rated super-flyweight Jamie Conlan, and Irish boxing icon Paddy Barnes.
It's not merely the exciting talents and raucous atmospheres which make Dublin and Belfast such enticing prospects for BoxNation shows, however; the likes of Conlan and Barnes are two of the most colourful and entertaining personalities in Irish sport, and Conlan in particular has captivated BoxNation's primarily UK-based audience with epochal barn-burners versus Junior Granados and Anthony Nelson respectively.
Barnes and his old friend Conlan joined Steve Bunce on Buncey's Boxing Hour last night to reflect on a positively mental 2016, and cast an eye ahead to a potentially massive year for Irish boxing. True to form, the three-time Olympian left 'Buncey' and former WBO super-feathwerweight champion Barry Jones in stitches on a number of occasions, not least when he revealed his sneaky plot to lure Zou Shiming - who eliminated Barnes from both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games - into the ring for a professional scrap.
Paddy Barnes on Zou Shiming
Beijing and London gold medallist Shiming - whose 2012 victory over Barnes was described by Bunce as only slightly less of robbery than Michael Conlan's Rio exit - won the WBO World flyweight title in November, and will have an eye on his former Olympic foe as Barnes rapidly progresses through the pro ranks.
Naturally, Mick Conlan's so-called defeat to Wladimir Nikitin was also discussed, and as he revealed to Balls back in August, Jamie Conlan explained how he and those close to his younger brother had heard stories of potential foul-play in the lead-up to that fateful Olympic quarter-final.
Barnes went one further, and suggested Nikitin's subsequent pull-out ahead of his semi-final had far more sinister motives than many would have you believe, before Bunce - perhaps wisely - changed the topic, slightly.
Jamie Conlan on Rio robbery; Barnes' Nikitin conspiracy theory, fondness for Tom Daly
Conlan and Barnes also discussed the freight train-like introduction to the pro ranks for one Katie Taylor, before Bunce played back footage of Taylor sparring the slightly smaller Barnes.
The latter's narration skills produced perhaps the biggest laugh of the night, with Barnes and Conlan going on to suggest Taylor will win world titles as a professional before long.
Paddy Barnes on sparring Katie Taylor
It was a cracking show featuring two of Ireland's top pugilistic talents, and will be repeated in full - free to air - on BoxNation (Sky Ch 437) throughout the week, starting at 5pm today.
Look away now if you farted @bigdaddybunce @paddyb_ireland @JamieConlan11 pic.twitter.com/N31ylrttz8
— Barry Jones (@BarryJonesBox) January 6, 2017
