‘I Thought My Career Was Over’ – Karl Sheridan Ready To Prove Defeat Was The Making Of Him
Karl Sheridan admits shock defeat last time out left him questioning his future in boxing.
Although the Dublin prospect now insists the setback could prove the making of him.
Sheridan suffered a surprise setback in just his second outing, losing to Mexican Jorge Luis Huerta Balleza, a result that forced him to confront some difficult emotions in the aftermath.
However, rather than allowing the defeat to derail his ambitions, the JB Promotions fighter believes it has given him the perfect opportunity to address mistakes early in his career.
The 23-year-old returns to action this weekend on the JB Promotions card, determined to show that the loss was nothing more than a temporary setback on the road towards bigger goals.
Reflecting on the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Sheridan admitted the result hit him harder than expected.
“When I heard that decision of my loss, I genuinely assumed that the decision of my career was over. Those were the thoughts going through my head,” Sheridan explained.
“Two or three days after the fight I was bed bound and everything else. I said to myself, listen, it’s going to happen — you have to either learn from it or you have to show it.”
The disappointment has since been replaced by perspective, with the entertaining prospect believing the defeat may have arrived at the perfect time in his development.
“It’s not a loss, it’s a learning curve at the end of the day,” he said.
“I could have won that fight and still been making the same stupid habits in my next few fights. But it’s cool to at least get that loss out of the way now and learn from it.
“I won’t be afraid now stepping into fights. After my last fight I wasn’t too happy with the decision. Personally, I thought I did more than enough to win the fight, but I learned a lot from it.”
One of the biggest lessons Sheridan has taken from the experience is the need to showcase his natural boxing ability against opponents who look to frustrate him.
“I can’t fight these journeymen the same way. I have to show the boxing skills,” he said.
“I have plenty of boxing skills, I need to show them. That’s what I’m going to do now.”
For early days pro, the focus is firmly on rebuilding momentum, gaining experience and progressing towards the kind of fights he believes he can compete in.
The immediate plan is simple: return to winning ways this weekend, continue developing and build towards bigger challenges in 2026.
“I want to get another fight, move one or two more fights in, build the record up a bit more and then next year fight for titles.”
