“Any man in front of me, I’m going to hurt you.”
Peter Carr didn’t dress it up or dilute it. With his Irish middleweight title clash with Paul Ryan at the National Stadium fast approaching, the Dubliner delivered a blunt message that underlines exactly what he plans to bring into Saturday night’s main event.
The first Irish middleweight clash since Luke Keeler defeated Darren Crusie in 2017 is already an eagerly anticipated one, and the Devil’s words only add fuel to that fire.
Known for his aggressive style and willingness to engage, the Crumlin-trained boxer is not just predicting a war—he’s promising damage on top of the JB Promotions bill.
“Listen, it’s a classic fight and a great fight, I think,” Carr says when speaking to Irish-boxing.com. “An absolute bouncer and a war I think and possibly fight of the night.
“I guess training has been tailored towards that to make it an entertaining fight.
“We can expect a pure war because I’m sure I’m coming for a war,” he adds. “And I think he’s coming as well.”
“Of course he is. All of us are going to come for war. Paul’s a grown man, I’m a grown man. I believe myself, he believes himself.”
Yet while Carr is happy to talk up the violence, he’s equally aware that this fight represents something more personal—a chance to right past wrongs. The Dub has already experienced domestic title action, suffering BUI Celtic title defeat to Daniel O’Sullivan last year.
“Yeah, of loads of loads of negative and positive things, even from the first one that I had when I lost me first title,” he reflects. “Like, please God and thank God that I have a second opportunity to go a second time.
“I’ve learned a lot. I know what I needed to do. It’s not that I wasn’t bad, but we don’t lose, we learn. So, I have a lot of stuff that I improved on.”
That learning process could be key against ‘Ravishing’ on Saturday night. The entertaining forer kickboxer remains a naturally aggressive fighter, someone who thrives in the heat of battle, but he admits part of his evolution has been understanding when to unleash the beast.
“Sometimes I need to cool down. No matter what way I am or what way I’m going to be, I’m always going to be the strongest and hit the hardest. I never lose me power,” he explains. “So that’s what you need to remember—to stop always going for the big shot.”