During the current pandemic any & every opportunity must be seised upon as it may not present itself again, Michael McGoldrick at 35 years of age is well aware of that fact & was more than happy to step in at late notice when the Ultimate Boxxer came knocking.
Luke of SimBoxx caught up with McGoldrick to get he’s thoughts on fight night....
You’ve recently been added to the Boxxer tournament, how excited are you for such a big opportunity on a massive platform?
I’m excited for such a big opportunity. I didn’t think I was going to box this year but now this gives me an opportunity to potentially do it twice in one night so I can’t argue with that!
What’s your thoughts on how you’ll adapt & perform on the shorter, more explosive format of the tournament with 3x3 min round for the semi final & 5x3 min in the final?
I don’t know how i’ll adapt. The other lads in the competition are all good lads, they all have a decent level of amateur experience from what I hear so I don’t think anything that anyone does will be a surprise.
Also in the tournament are Ben Ridings, Zak Chelli, & Harry Woods, with just the 1 defeat between the 4 boxers there’s plenty of confidence heading into fight night...
They’re all what you would class as prospects at the early stages of their career and that’s what makes it exciting because the public don’t know much about any of them yet and I know I will be trying to perform as best I can and make my mark.
You’ve been out of the ring for almost 12 months, no doubt affected like many by lockdown, does the fact you’ve been called up as a late replacement show the importance of always keeping in good shape & ticking over even without a fight date?
Yes definitely. I stay fit all year and I stay reasonably near to the weight. I don’t live like a monk but I expanded my knowledge on training and nutrition over the years so that I can make a few changes to training and eating through the year and be where I want to be in case an opportunity arises. People get offered good fights all the time when they’re not ready everybody in the game knows that and I didn’t want to let that happen to me.
At 35 years of age, how much of a hindrance has lockdown been for you at this stage of your career? You managed to box 3 times in each of 2018 & 2019, is there an eagerness to get in there and make up for loss time?
It has been definitely, I was hoping to box for an Area title this year but with lockdown that’s been delayed. At 35 I feel like I don’t have much time to make my mark which is why I can’t turn down offers like this.
The last question & to put you on the spot, what’s your predictions for fight night & how you see it playing out..
My predictions are that it’s going to be a night of explosive, exciting fights and anything can happen on the night in 3 or 5 rounds.
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