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‘I am not one to back out of a fight’ – Defiant Kelvin McDonald has no Stephen McAfee regrets

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Kelvin McDonald [2-1(1)] will change approach in terms of how he fights, but not who he fights moving into 2020.

The Larne fighter took a significant step up and indeed risk last time out when he agreed to fight Stephen McAfee.

McDonald already had his slot on the Celtic Clash 9 card and when a late replacement was needed could have demanded a joureny man be brought in.

However, in just his third fight the super featherweight agreed to take on the recent Irish title challenger and BUI super featherweight champion.

The result didn’t go McDonald’s way as he was stopped by a brilliantly timed upper cut in the third round.

However, ‘Boom Boom’ hasn’t been burnt by the reverse and claims he remains open to domestic dust ups even this early in his career.

“I don’t regret taking the fight this early. I’m not one to back out of a fight. I’ll fight anyone and there was more to win than lose out of the fight,” McDonald told Irish-boxing.com.

“I was happy with it taking the step up at short notice and in the fight I felt I was gonna be 2-1 up in rounds if I seen the end of the third.”

“I definitely won’t avoid domestic fights going forward. I have a plan in place and I am willing to execute it this year.”

While Boxing Ireland fighters fight anyone mantra remains the way he approaches fights may be somewhat difference. McDonald now plans to win for the fans rather than fight to just entertain them.

“From now on it will be in a different manner. Before I fought for the crowd and fans, to entertain them, now it will be for me. I’ll do what I have to do to win if the fans like it or not,”he adds before stating he does belief he deserves credit for taking on fellow risk taker McAfee so early.

“I believe I deserve the credit everyone avoids McAfee so when the opportunity came up I was more than happy to take it.”

McDonald was due to return on the Celtic Clash 10 card, but had to withdraw as he hadn’t enough tickets sold to cover his opponents costs.

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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