Second Irish Fighter makes Pro back to Amateur Transition
James Lynch has become only the second Irish fighter to go back amateur after making his professional debut.
The Sligo native took the vest out of the draw and tried it back on in a recent national contest.
Lynch won what was his first amateur fight since 2016 at Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin last week. The win over Peter Vrinceanu saw him crowned Irish Defence Forces Champion.
The Connacht fighter made sure Sligo could boast two pro boxers at the same time for the first time ever when he joined Aaron Gethins as a Yeats County paid puncher in 2019.
Lynch debuted successfully against Gary McGuire on a Boxing Ireland’s Celtic Clash 9 card. However, with boxing in Ireland outside Belfast effectively dormant at present he has elected to return to the amateurs.
Lynch becomes only the second Irish fighter to do so. Regan Buckley made the same transition back in 2018 and went on to win European Games bronze. The Bray flyweight then retired from the game altogether before revealing he will fight bare-knuckle with BKB next month.
Speaking after his pro debut Lynch told Irish-boxing.com: “I always wanted to turn pro and I feel a million dollars.”
“I feel great. I was nervous I think everyone gets nervous before their debut, but I just done as I was told by the coaches and I got the job done. It was about keeping it simple tonight. I was jabbing and working the body and just making sure my hands came back to my face. It all paid off in the end.”
