“It’s like a cheat code” – Matty Boreland hails coach Burnett’s Influence

Matty Boreland believes having coach Ryan Burnett in his corner is like having a “cheat code”.

The Irish champion impressed with a composed decision win at the Waterfront Hall recently, adopting a more refined approach than the one that earned him the ‘Bam Bam’ ring moniker.

Speaking after, the Coleraine native admitted he felt more polished and revealed it was the former unified world champion who had done most of the polishing.

“Ryan’s the best coach you’ve ever seen with the smallest bit of details,” Boreland told Irish-boxing.com.

“You go back to the corner, you just do what he says and it works. He told me to step back and walk him into the left hook — first thing, bang, it worked straight away.

“It’s like a cheat code having Ryan in your corner.”

The victory continued Boreland’s momentum since winning Irish honours against Rudy Farrell last September, and the 27-year-old believes working closely with Burnett has helped sharpen every aspect of his game.

Some will miss the entertaining seek and destroy element, but observers did note a calmer, more composed version of Boreland, particularly in the way he slipped shots and avoided danger throughout the contest.

Despite the strong display, Boreland admitted he was actually slightly frustrated after the fight — disappointed he didn’t manage to secure a stoppage victory.

“I’m a wee bit annoyed I never got him out of there,” he admitted.

“But I think it’s good to be annoyed so I can go back now and look at the improvements rather than thinking everything was perfect.”

Having the faith

“A lot of my problem was I never had self-belief in myself,” he explained.

“I didn’t think I was that good. Now I feel like I’ve got that extra bit of confidence and it’s bringing me out more as a fighter.”