The eyes of the small Dublin town of Portmarnock will not only be watching one of their favourite sons Stephen Ward in action for Wolves at Queen's Park Rangers this evening.

Because a bit later on tonight boxer Oisin Fagan will be taking to the ring for the biggest night of his career against Amir Khan.

And that means a healthy contingent of Stephen's pals from home crossing the Irish Sea for a double in the capital today - QPR v Wolves and Fagan v Khan!

"Oisin Fagan is actually the next door neighbour to one of my best friends, Keith," says Stephen.

"It's just a two minutes walk to his house from where I lived in Portmarnock.

"I used to go to the gym and saw him doing a fair bit of Boxing training.

"I think he ended up going to America trying to get a break as most boxers do.

"I've known for a long time he was doing well at boxing but when my Dad told me he was fighting Amir Khan I thought, 'Fair Play'!

"I've had calls from a few mates who are coming over and are wanting to get to the QPR game beforehand to kill some time!

"With our game on Tuesday I can't stay on and go to the fight but I'll certainly watch on television when I get home.

"It's a massive opportunity for him against a fighter of the calibre of Amir Khan and I just wish him all the best."

Fagan, 35, actually played for several football clubs during his time in Portmarnock before moving to Oklahoma but his and Stephen's paths only crossed once.

"He used to be quite a decent footballer," he adds.

"I remember playing against him in a five-a-side tournament they do every year where I lived but I think he was better in the ring than on the pitch!

"He's certainly a better footballer than I'm a boxer - when I saw the sort of weights he was lifting in the gym that was never going to be for me!"