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Title-Hungry Colin O’Donovan out to rectify McAfee mistake


Colin O’Donovan is tired of waiting around.

The Cork fighter faces Dubliner Carl McDonald for the vacant BUI Celtic super bantamweight title on Saturday at Good Counsel GAA Club and, following a month’s postponement, he is the definition of a man chomping at the bit.

O’Donovan [1(1)-2(1)-1] is eager to take to the ring following another month of training and making weight and told Irish-Boxing.com that the postponement “was a bit of a disaster.”

“I was ready to go and then I had another couple of weeks of dieting and all that. It threw me a small bit.”

“I have the same mindframe as I did a couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t that much of an upset – although I wouldn’t have minded getting it out of the way because my holidays are like two days after the [rescheduled] fight!”

To look on the brightside, the delay enabled O’Donovan to have another month in the gym with new coach Lee Cairns at Legacy BC.

Expect a cuter Colin O’Donovan on Saturday night in what is a battle of former Intermediate champions, with the Youghal-based fighter being smoothed down by the top amateur coach.

A gameplan has been drilled into O’Donovan for nearly three months and he admits that “I’m not too worried.”

“Everything’s going great – it’s a new place so I’m just getting used to the way they fight. I’m going to be eager to see how it all turns out inside the ring.”

“He said not to worry about it too much, about adopting their style, and just to go ahead with my thing but, if I can throw in a couple of new things, I’m going to try.”

“I already know how to fight – but we’ve a good gameplan going in there.”

“I’m not too worried.”

It’s less than four months on since O’Donovan’s epic rematch with Stephen McAfee at the same venue and a lot has changed since then.

‘The Rebel Rouser’, however, has not, and still approaches each fight with an admirable, almost unique, attitude.

Straight back into a title fight at a new weight and with a new coach, some have suggested that the obviously talented Leesider could have taken a more traditional, gradual, road back.

Not O’Donovan though and, responding to this thinking outlined how “that’s their opinion, for me personally I think the more rounds, the better. It’s where I want to go, I don’t want to drag my feet, I’m getting older by the day.”

“For me, personally, I want to take the longer round fights, the bigger opportunities, the bigger risks because what else am I in this for? A fight is a fight, I don’t care who’s across from me, I just get in there and try to do my best.”

“It’s good to get in another eight round fight, get another one under the belt. It’s good to get to go back to Good Counsel and rectify the last mistake and come home with the belt this time.”

“This is the exact same as last time. If I had came away with the win from the McAfee fight, I would have been looking to have my next fight, now, for the Irish title. The same plan is in the works now, if I can pull away this fight I’ll get the Irish title fight.”

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

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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