John Boyd Targets Title After Stunning Comeback from Career-Threatening Health Scare

John Boyd has gone from fearing he would never box again to targeting his first professional title.

A stunning comeback performance certainly suggests he’s strap-capable, and his promoter is intent on securing him a shot before the year is out.

The Belfast boxer ended 16 months out of the ring with an eye-catching performance on the Judgement Day bill late last month. 

It was the perfect way to return after a frightening health scare that threatened to bring his career to an abrupt end, earning significant praise from promoter Jay Byrne, who believes his fighter has established himself among the best at 154lbs and 160lbs in the country.

For Boyd, however, the significance of the night went far beyond what happened between the ropes.

“I truly my boxing career was over. I thought I was done. I was still involved, doing the corner and stuff with other fighters. I was still learning about it, but, yeah, I thought I was done,” he told Irish-boxing.com.

The Dee Walsh-trained stylist showed real fighting spirit to get back and didn’t have to look too far for inspiration in that regard.   

“I’ve watched the likes of my mum come back from stuff over the years. She’s a fighter herself, and for her to come back from what she’s come back from, I can come back from anything. I’ve watched my family do it for years, so there’s no reason why I can’t do it, and I’ve proved it,” he said. 

The title hopeful and possible contender in JB Promotion’s Prizefighter equivalent next Spring didn’t return with a routine ring-rust-freeing display at the National Stadium. The southpaw was punch-perfect and more aggressive than ever against Jack Swallow. 

“It could have been better,” he says in harsh reflection. 

“I think I started to enjoy myself a wee bit too much in round four. I picked it up in round three and I should have kept it on him, but I didn’t. I started enjoying myself a wee bit too much.”

Pomorter Byrne was a lot less modest on Boyd’s behalf. Indeed, he was unequivocal in his assessment of the win, describing it as one of the standout performances of the night and insisting that the Belfast fighter is now ready to pursue his first professional title.

“Unbelievably proud. It’s not hard to come back from something that could derail your career and to take it away. He has come back. That was, in my opinion, the best performance of the day in the scene tonight. You’ve got to give credit where credit’s due, and everyone in the front row now knows who John Boyd is.”

“My job now is to go and get him a title opponent. He needs his first title. He’s ready now. November 27th, if I have my way, he’ll fight for a title, John Boyd will fight for his first title in Belfast. We won’t skip a title, so we’ll do Celtic first.”

“Let me say this: on tonight’s performance, after 16 months out of the ring, he’s up there with the best 154/160s in the country, bar none. And I manage a lot of them. That’s performance.”