New York - Brian Burke, the manager of undefeated Irish junior middleweight James Moore, 9-0 (7 KOS), says that the late former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, who went on to successfully train numerous amateur fighters after retiring from the ring,

would have loved to train Moore.

The 43-year-old Burke, a onetime police officer in Poughkeepsie, New York, began fighting as an amateur when he was 16-years-old. Under Patterson’s stewardship, he competed in tournaments throughout the world. He later helped train many professional fighters, including Patterson’s son, multi-division champion Tracy Harris Patterson.

“Floyd was a great champion, a great mentor, and a great man inside and outside of the ring,” said Burke. “Everyone who came into his gym he treated special. He loved teaching youngsters how to box, but never pushed you beyond what you were capable of. He would have seen something very special in James. He would have loved his ability, tenacity, determination and desire. Floyd used to say ‘show me, don’t tell me.’ One look at James and he would have been very excited. He would have paid him the ultimate compliment by saying he was old school.”

The 28-year-old Moore, a native of County Arklow, Ireland, who now resides in Queens, New York, is the former captain of the Irish national amateur team. Trained by Harry Keitt, he is scheduled to battle Edson Aguirre of North Carolina, a winner of 12 of his 18 fights, on Friday, February 16, at the historic Plattduetsche Park restaurant in Franklin Square, Long Island, New York. The show is promoted by Bob Duffy’s Ring Promotions, in association with Frankie G. Productions.

Also appearing on the card is a trio of junior middleweights, including Henry Crawford, 13-0-1 (5 KOS), of Paterson, New Jersey; Daniel Sostre, 2-0, a New Yorker who hails from Puerto Rico; and Wes Hobbs, 4-1-1, of Brooklyn. 

The Plattduetsche restaurant is located at 1122 Hempstead Turnpike in Franklin Square, which is approximately one mile east of Belmont Racetrack, phone 516-354-3131.