Graham McCormack promises to stay sensible in ‘maddest’ scenario
Graham McCormack [8(1)-2(1)] is determined not to allow a journeyman to ruin his journey toward two-weight BUI Celtic champion status.
It’s next stop Madrid for G-Train after his team were informed he needs a win to be eligible to fight Craig McCarthy for the BUI Celtic title in Waterford in April.
An opponent for the fight, which plays out this Saturday hasn’t been confirmed, although the Limerick fight shouldn’t be faced with anyone too dangerous.
Indeed, the fight is meant to be a routine return to winning ways bout, one made for optics more than anything else, as the BUI are not keen on any fighter challenging for one of their titles on the back of a loss.
However, McCormack is more than aware routine and journeymen are never happy bedfellows when it comes to him.
The Shaun Kelly trained fighter has always had game away corner fighters who come to fight – and he has more often than not obliged.
The IGB main man assures that won’t be the case this weekend, he won’t be drawn into a war regardless of his opponent’s approach. The 35-year-old also says he is aware he isn’t in Madrid to take in the sights, that he is fully focused on getting the win and promises he won’t do anything to jeopardise the McCormack-Craig McCarthy fight Irish fans are looking forward to.
“I had to get a fight to get sanctioned for the title, so Ian just got me on the quickest and nearest show, so Madrid it is,” he explains when speaking to Irish-boxing.com.
“He said we have to take a fight and I just said ‘yeah no bother we’ll go’. We’ll go over Friday, weigh in, fight Saturday and home Sunday.”
“All I know is I’m fighting the fella in the other corner. I was only saying to people boxing is the maddest game ever. Your manager rings you and says look we have to go to Madrid next week to fight, there are no questions asked, you are just like ‘fair enough’.”
It’s all smiles from the ever-jovial character but he knows there is a serious side to the trip.
“I think I’m a lot more mature now as a fighter,” he responds when asked about he tendency to go to war with journeymen. “I’m a lot better now than I was in my earlier days too, plus there won’t be 120 people I’ve sold tickets to coming in shouting at me to go to war.
“One thing I will say is I won’t be taking anything for granted. I’ve been in there with journeymen that tried to take my head off and I know what way that goes. These can easily be banana skins and I can’t afford a slip-up. So I’m going over here, I’ve trained hard for it, we’ll get the win and then focus on Craig McCarthy in Waterford.”
