They announced the attendance in the Madison Square Garden Theatre as 5,038, the capacity, though it felt like Irish Ropes Promotions had been forced by sheer weight of numbers to open the doors to several hundred more. “The kid’s the greatest ticket-seller I’ve ever seen,” said a beaming Lou DiBella, promoter of the world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.

On the eve of St Patrick’s Day, John Duddy had already set one mark without setting foot in the ring. When he did, to face Shelby Pudwill for the vacant WBC Intercontinental Americas middleweight title, a spurious belt which was not what the night was really about, the legion of Irish who had taken over New York and declared an early weekend were treated to the fireworks they craved. The “Duddy and Puddy show”, as one ringside wag dubbed it, was over in 91 seconds with the 26-year-old Derry man’s ferocious power overwhelming his experienced American opponent.

“Duddy’s become a real phenomenon out here,” said the New York boxing writer Bob Mladinich. “I haven’t seen this type of local idolatry since Gerry Cooney was on his way up.” The crowd was raucous and, as they hit the bars to begin celebrations, Duddy was the toast of Broadway.

“It’s been an incredible night. There wasn’t a voice in the place that wasn’t Irish. A first- round knockout in Madison Square Garden, my God, it doesn’t get much better than this,” said Duddy’s father, Micky, an ex-boxer who looked like a fighting man in Valhalla. “It’s been a great way to start St Patrick’s weekend in New York.”

Duddy deserved the rave reviews, though Pudwill did nothing for the fistic honour of North Dakota. Beaten only twice before in 21 fights, he was floored by a solid left-hook to the temple inside 30 seconds and never recovered. That he actually made it back to his feet was an achievement in itself as he was moving forward at the moment of impact, multiplying the effect of the punch.

“He did well to get up from that one,” Duddy agreed. “I could see when he did get up that his legs weren’t too good, so I just let my punches go.” Duddy’s punching prowess is well-established for this was his 14th inside-the-distance win in 16 pro fights. When the referee Wayne Kelly waved them back into action, Pudwill was quickly down again. He beat the mandatory count of eight but Duddy fired in another right which crashed off the side of the American’s head and, wisely, the referee stepped in before Pudwill hit the canvas.

Even Duddy seemed surprised by the ease of his victory. “I didn’t in my wildest dreams think I was going to walk into Madison Square Garden and knock out a guy with 21 wins in the first round. The first punch, the left hook, shook him to his boots and it was just a matter of not getting too wild after that. I tried to pick my shots and make every punch count and I’m just delighted I was able to put on a show like this for all the people who came to the arena. To have that kind of support behind you is fantastic. It’s a fighter’s dream to have had the experience I’ve had here tonight.”

He could have been back in Derry, such was the level of support. But this was Madison Square Garden, the grandest stage of all, where a pipe band from Donegal played him into the ring and the Sam Maguire Cup was paraded by the holders from Tyrone. Even the round-card girls were step-dancers in native costume.

“There’s no question that Duddy can punch,” said DiBella, clearly impressed. “He’s a real prospect. But I’m not sure he’s a top 10 middleweight just yet. You have to judge it against the quality of opposition and Pudwill, let’s be honest, didn’t show much. But any fighter caught by a legitimate punch like that is entitled to be stopped in a round. He would have shown remarkable recuperative powers to come back from it.

“The problem that they (Irish Ropes) have is matching Duddy. There’s a danger of moving him too quickly without really testing him against better opposition. If he fought Jermain Taylor right now, it’s a one-round fight. But that won’t happen for a while and in the meantime the kid’s only going to get better.”

Eddie McLoughlin, who handles Duddy, said only that his fighter would stay busy. “That’s the way he’s going to learn and that’s the way John likes it. He wants to be in the ring as often as he possibly can,” said McLoughlin. “Tonight has been a phenomenal success, the fan base is astounding and John’s now a huge star here on the (American) east coast. He just needs to keep it going — and I’m sure he will.”