Stephen Tiffney believes the only defeat of his career so far has made him a much better fighter ahead of his battle with David Oliver Joyce.

The two men will clash for the vacant WBO European featherweight title at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on March 15 – live on iFL TV.

Tiffney (10-1) came up short in his last title fight when he was beaten by Lewis Paulin for the Scottish Area Featherweight belt in December 2017, but he feels that could have been a blessing in disguise.

Tiffney said: “I found out a lot about myself from that fight. It was my only defeat and there was a big amount that I learned, so it can sometimes be a good thing.

“There are some things that you only realise when you lose, so it definitely made me a better fighter and I don’t see it as a negative.

“I’ve got Joyce now and this is the perfect start to the year. I’m looking to pick up titles this year so I can’t wait.

“Once you get hold of that first title you can then push onto bigger and better things, but I’m not looking past Joyce and I’m fully focused on him.”

There are a number of talented local boxers on the undercard in Manchester, including Ben Sheedy, Craig Bunn, Macaulay McGowan, Adam Hague and Damian Chambers.

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Decorated amateur Davey Oliver Joyce believes amateur experience gives him a clear edge over WBO European title rival Stephen Tiffney.

‘The Punisher’ Joyce (9-0-KO7) clashes with Scotland’s Tiffney (10-1-KO4) at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on March 15 – live on iFL TV – and is confident of taking home the vacant featherweight crown.

Joyce said: “As an amateur, I boxed some of the best in the world but regardless of the opponent, there’s been no messing about. This guy will bring the best out of me and I’ll show the world what I’m about.

“He’s a decent guy and he’s a good, stronger fighter. I’ve never sparred him but I know his style. He’s a switcher. I’m not going to take anything for granted because he’ll come with a game plan.

“I won’t disrespect him but I’ve got an amateur record behind me and he hasn’t. I bring everything – all those experiences at world, Europeans and Olympic level – with me. He doesn’t have a good amateur record so I have it all to lose.

“I’m going to bring some people from Mullingar and he’s going to bring some down from Scotland and we’re going to meet on neutral ground. It’s neither of our hometowns but that’ll make for a very good atmosphere.

“This is a great show for MTK Global. Some people don’t have subscription channels and now all they need to do is watch it for free on iFL TV.”

Joyce won two European Union gold medals in the amateur ranks and was selected for the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he reached the last 16.

In addition to Joyce vs. Tiffney, the MTK Global card in Manchester features the likes of Raza Hamza, Macaulay McGowan, Ben Sheedy, Craig Bunn and more.

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