Not the Last Dance – Graham McCormack will keep Ring Walking
Graham McCormack is going to keep on ring walking.
The Limerick native fights Darren Johnstone for the vacant BBBofC Celtic super middleweight title in Glasgow on Saturday.
It’s a massive opportunity and a chance to add serious silverware to the collection.
Yet it’s a big fight his manager didn’t think he’d be offering to the Munster entertainer earlier this year.
In fact, this Spring, Ian Gaughran didn’t think he’d be accompanying the 38-year-old to the ring again.
The IGB boss man believed McCormack was going to call it a day after his rematch with Craig McCarthy.
The Dubliner went to the extent of savouring the Waterford ring walk, believing it would be his last with a fighter who helped put him on the managerial map.
However, the ‘G Train’s’ display in that grudge match changed things completely.
“It’s brilliant because we were walking out last time thinking that was the last walk. Then he put in his best performance, so it wasn’t the last walk, and I don’t think this will be the last walk either,” Gaughran explains to Irish-boxing.com.
“He is really confident of going in there and doing a similar job [to the McCarty win]. “
The Treaty boxer has been predicting victory and is adamant he will return to Limerick with a new title.
History has taught Gaughran not to disagree.
“Everyone says I’m going to go in and I’m going to stop him… and Graham wasn’t really one with KO’s on his record, but he was adamant he’d get the stoppage [against McCarthy]. He was saying, ‘I’m telling you I’ll stop him,’ ‘I’ve never felt better,’ and so on. You do believe him, but there is part of you that thinks I’ll believe when I see it. Then he did a number of Craig!”
The new lease of life seems to coincide with a new training approach for the 38-year-old.
“They’ve made some changes to training. He’s made little tweaks here and there and has been a lot more clever with his training. His sparring is carefully selected and at selective times, so he peaks for fight night.”
