Amateur star Sean McComb turns professional

Sean McComb has turned professional.

It has been confirmed this afternoon that the 25-year-old Belfast boxer will ditch the vest and start punching for pay having signed a management deal with Mack The Knife Global.

McComb has not signed with a promoter at present and is expected to feature on big Belfast bills from both BT Sport and Sky Sports over the coming months.

The move brings a curtain down on a stellar amateur career in which McComb, who boxed out of the Holy Trinity club, was a three-time Irish Elite Senior Champion (2013, 2015, 2017) and claimed bronze at the inaugural European Games in 2015.

A narrow loss to Davey Oliver Joyce in the 2016 Irish championships saw McComb miss out on the Rio Olympic qualifiers however he persevered, twice beating World Champion Vitaly Dunyatsev in 2017.

Recently a rivalry had emerged with England’s Luke McCormack, whom he controversially lost to for a bronze medal at last year’s European Championships before the pair were reacquainted in the Last 16 of the Commonwealth Games in April – where McComb was Northern Irish team captain – with McCormack again getting the nod.

Having started his Elite amateur career at bantamweight (56kg) and moving up as far as light welterweight (64kg), McComb will campaign initially at lightweight (61.2kg) in the pros.

Despite a mooted deal with the British Lionhearts last year, McComb has never boxed in either of amateur boxing’s pro-styled formats, the World Series of Boxing and AIBA Pro Boxing, and his upcoming pro debut will be the first time he will be scheduled for more than three three-minute rounds.

A debut date for McComb is yet to be set although it is believed that he will feature on the Mick Conlan homecoming bill at the SSE Odyssey Arena in Belfast on Saturday June 30th.

Following the departure of the Turf Lodge southpaw, the Irish amateur 64kg scene has been blown wide open.

Wayne Kelly is reigning champion, taking over from the Commonwealth Games-bound McComb this year. Runner-up Caoimhin Ferguson, who gave McComb a good fight in the most recent Ulster Seniors, is a rapidly improving talent, while Limerick’s Paddy Donovan is perhaps the most touted prospect in the country.

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)