Tony Nellins – “The amateur game is over, I am in there to do damage”

Tony Nellins is adamant that he is back for good.

The Belfast fighter ended a five and a half year absence from the game with his third career victory in the Shorts Sports and Social Club in Belfast last night.

The 25 year old was keen to stress his return won’t be brief, and that the shutout points victory over Scotland’s JP McGuinness is the first of many as he prepares to relaunch his career.

A delighted Nellins spoke to Irish-Boxing.com after the win and admitted that “it’s great to be back. This is the best sport in the world and I missed it big time. I should never have stopped in the first place. I stopped because of my career. Work took me over to England and I couldn’t train as much as you to need to being a professional boxer.

The East Belfast man plans to get busy and outlined how “I am looking for a few fights in 2017 and then all the top boys at whatever weight I am at. I am hoping to get back down to lightweight. I am back for good, the ball is going to keep rolling now, there will be no stopping me.”

Describing the victory, Nellins explained his “I came out strong. I felt I hit him a couple of shots in the first and second round and I could have put him away, but I didn’t want to take risks in my first fight back and against a fighter that hits hard. I knew I could win on the cards, I went out and won the first three and I knew then I had the fight done it was just about not doing anything silly in the last.”

“He was a tough character. He took some good left and right hooks to the body and the right hand over the top too. I thought I had him in the opening two rounds, but I didn’t push for the knockout.”

It was an exciting performance from Nellins who stressed that “I am not in there to be tippy tappy. The amateur game is over, I am in there to do damage. They are in there to hurt you so I am there to hurt them before they get the chance. It’s dog eat dog.”