Brett McGinty is a boxer in a hurry.
The young Saint Johnston fighter will step into the ring when he returns to Dublin’s National Stadium this Saturday night on the undercard to Jason Quigley’s The Return return card.
McGinty’s flame has burned slowly since he turned professional in October 2019 but he has dispatched the six opponents who were put in front of him.
Number seven comes on Saturday night in the form of Patrik Fiala (5-3-2, 3KOs).
McGinty, 24, says some may have considered his early opponents as ‘journeymen’ but everyone offers an element of danger once they step through the ropes.
He said “My last fight, he may have been a journeyman, but he came for a fight and it was a proper dust-up. It was the kind of fight I want to be in. He was well up for it. He didn’t just come to get paid. I had a right few down to watch me and support me and they enjoyed the fight.
“He has five wins and three Kos, so he has a decent, winning record.
“I’ve put a lot of work in and I want to show that now. I was able to do that in my last fight and I want to be able to do that in this one.”
The arrival of Covid meant McGinty wasn’t able to continue to get more fights under his belt in quick succession.
And, in a bid to keep himself on his toes, he has one eye on a possible Celtic title.
“Activity is everything. Now that I’m stepping up the rounds – this is a six, my next could be eight – the fights may not be thick and fast, but I do want activity.
“I came out of the amateurs, where you could have had two fights in a weekend or four or five times in a month, to being so slow since I’ve turned over.
“The Celtic title has been vacated and that is something that I would love to fight for. Who the opponent would be, I don’t know. That’s the kind of direction I want to push in now and I don’t want to hang around.”
Once again the affable young Donegal man is hoping to bring plenty of local support from Donegal down the road to the South Circular Road in Dublin.
The National Stadium holds some great memory for the Ricky Hatton trained-fighter and he would love to notch up another victory in front of the 1,900 plus attendance which will pack into the famous venue.
“There’s not a better venue in the country. There aren’t many purpose-built boxing venues, but it’s one of them.
“It doesn’t matter if there are 50 people in it or there are 500, they’ll all make noise and it creates a good atmosphere.
“Most of us on the card have fought there as amateurs and we’re looking forward to fighting there as pros,” adds Brett.
Of course, one man he will be warming up with in the dusty changing rooms of the venue will be his old friend Jason Quigley.
He still recalls the day when Quigley called to his old school Deele College in Raphoe and gave him some words of advice when McGinty was still a starry-eyed teenager.
“I remember when Jason won his European gold and he came into the school. He had a chat to us and he took me to lunch the same day. I looked up to Jason. He was flying in the amateurs that time.
“Now, I’ve been lucky enough to have sparred with Jason three times in this camp. I’ve got a few rounds in with him and it’s great we can help each other out.
“The man has fought at the pinnacle of the sport. It didn’t go his way, but he has been there and done it at the top level.
“He’s coming home now and giving all the Irish fans a chance to see him. It’s brilliant for Donegal and it’s brilliant for Irish boxing.”
The 24-year-old injured his hand in his last fight but is raring to make Fiala another statistic on his rise up the ranks.
“I haven’t had any trouble in camp. Everything has been 100 per cent.
“It was just an injury to the left hand. I didn’t throw the hand at all in the sixth round. I’ve had no trouble since the New Year and it’s all good.”
McGinty adds that he is yet to do a deep dive on his latest opponent but is concentrating on having the most important person he needs to have ready when the bell sounds on Saturday evening – himself.
“We don’t usually look too far into opponents until fight week. In this game, when you’re fighting so-called journeymen, the opponent can change. You can look at ten videos of a man and you’re told, all of a sudden, that you’re fighting someone else.
“We’ll get a good look at the opponent closer to the fight. He has a decent record. He has fought a few times at light-heavy, but they say he’s going to make middleweight.
“I’m ready to go. I’ve put a lot of work in during this camp and I’m very confident that I’ll be ready for what he brings.”
There are still a few tickets left for Saturday evening’s show but promotors say it will be a sell-out so fans are advised to get online and book their passes.
