BOXING NEWSDUBLIN'S BERNARD Dunne has given himself 12 months to land a crack at a world championship fight following a surprise first-round knockout by Spain's Kiko Martinez last year.

The 28-year-old will initially step into the ring on July 12th for an international 10-round contest in what will be the second of his comeback bouts. He then hopes to impress enough to earn a title fight around this time next year.

Dunne's opponent for the July show at the National Stadium has not yet been decided. He defeated Felix Machado in Castlebar last month in his first fight since the Martinez defeat. Although he is seeking to regain the European belt he lost against the Spaniard, it is possible he will bypass that in an effort to become ranked high enough to warrant a world title shot on merit.

Rendall Munroe, the current European super bantamweight champion, is promoted by Frank Maloney and is not enthusiastic about coming to Ireland. He also has a tie in with Sky Sports which is a further complication in arranging a meeting with Dunne.

"There is no point in hanging around at European level waiting for a fight that might not come off anyway," said Dunne's promoter Brian Peters.

For the fighter, it will be his first time to step into the ring in Dublin since last August. "It's been a long time since I boxed in Dublin. I'm excited about that," said Dunne yesterday. "Hopefully I'll be better than I was last time. I'm back now to where I want to be. This will be another step up the ladder."

Dunne has had injuries to his hands and has had to wait while a cut healed on his head. But he is now back training and will go into camp in Belfast at the end of the month for a 10-week lead in to the fight.

"The idea is to keep moving, keep stepping forward. This year will be a busy year for me," added Dunne. "You don't get into boxing to do local shows. You have got to think of world titles. Everybody does."

Dunne can scarcely afford another defeat after the Martinez defeat knocked his career back. Peters, too, knows the value of the next year.

"Bernard had a good win in Castlebar last month against a very decent opponent in Felix Machado and I'm sure if he can get another couple of wins like that we'll be knocking on the door of a world title shot," he said.

"We can't afford any slip-ups but Bernard still needs to beat the kind of guys that can secure him a world ranking, so this is a crucial period in his career."