‘I Took a Break.. But I Love This Too Much’ – Cancellations Took a Toll on Cathal McLaughlin

Cathal McLaughlin admits he considered stepping away from boxing after the mental and financial toll of two back-to-back cancellations — but says his most recent night’s work reminded him exactly why he kept going.

The 28-year-old fighter eventually moved to 2-0 with a solid showing against George Rodgers on JB Promotions’ latest instalment late last month.

The Strabane boxer ended a period of frustration with a performance full of forward momentum and fan-pleasing aggression – and was himself pleased to be back in the pro ring.

Indeed, the ticket-selling Jason Quigley mentored boxer suggests it was a fight and a night he needed.

“It did [put me off], really. For a while, I did stop,” McLaughlin told Irish-boxing.com when asked about the effect of consecutive cancellations.

“I took a couple of weeks off, still trained, did a bit of different stuff like Hyrox. But I obviously just love boxing. Getting in there, feeling the buzz and getting a win, it just keeps you going.”

The time away wasn’t early retirement by any means, but it was a necessary breather after the toll of two training camps that led nowhere.

“Camps are hard and it costs money. You have to sort of stop your work and stuff — it’s not easy, it costs you more money than you make. That’s a fact.”

With that in mind, finally making it through the ropes again felt like a win in itself — and his fanbase made it all worthwhile.

“It was good to get out there and just feel the buzz again. There seems to be a good crowd, from Strabane down,” he said.

“There’s Danny [Duffy’s] crowd, there’s my crowd, all just combined. It’s class to hear the noise and everybody supporting.”

In response, McLaughlin fought in a more aggressive style than usual — a nod to the fans who paid to see him and travelled to support him.

“I’m not usually that aggressive. The crowd was there, it was my first small hall show and the atmosphere was great. I just went for it,” he explained.

“Obviously the tickets aren’t cheap — it’s not a cheap night out. A lot of them drove from Strabane, got hotels. You want to give them something that’s worth paying for.”

His opponent proved tricky, moving early and often and spoiling when necessary, but National Senior Champion pushed the pace and tried to get the knockout he predicted.

“He went on his bike fairly early. It was frustrating, and he was holding — typical — but it was good to get the rounds in. I could see [the shots] were landing and hurting him. I just didn’t land flush. Next time…”

The Sheer Sports boxing wants to remain busy now and is hopefully Jason Quigley secures him regular work and an increase in rounds.

“Jay was saying something about a six-rounder next time. I think that might suit me, because I always pick it up near the end of the fight.

“I want to keep pushing and get as many [fights] done as possible,” he added. “Just keep active, keep busy.”