Recognition Time for Ryan – Dubliner Plans to Race Ahead with Grand Prix Win
Paul Ryan says he will add to the growing excitement around Irish boxing and change his life by winning a novel new tournament.
The Dubliner is one of 128 fighters from 41 countries selected to compete in a new WBC tournament and will set about taking a life-changing opportunity over the coming months.
Having been given the Grand Prix green light, he starts lap 1 when he contests a light middleweight quarter-final in Saudi Arabia this coming Saturday.
The Blanch native claims it’s step one of progressing his career to the extent he’ll join the growing list of hyped Irish boxers, who are moving from prospects to world-level contenders.
“It’s a huge opportunity, this is my golden ticket chance. The whole world will be watching. It’s a chance to change my life,” he tells Irish-boxing.com.
“I’m hoping I’ll get the recognition I know my talent and hard work deserve. There’s a huge buzz around Irish boxing with Paddy Donovan, Pierce O’Leary, Aaron McKenna. I want to be mentioned along with them lads as the next big name in Irish boxing.”
There was a great deal of excitement about the underage European medal winner when he first turned over. However, he struggled for momentum and felt he was being avoided.
A DAZN broadcast Riyadh Season tournament seems is the perfect antidote to all his career ailments.
“This is the chance I’ve been working for. I’ve been butchering myself in training, not just for the last few months, but for years, because I knew an opportunity like this was waiting for me. I haven’t been shy about wanting big fights and big platforms, so it feels good and it feels right that it’s happening now.”
The tournament will include open scoring and instant replay will be fully utilized, while bouts cannot end in a draw. It’s understood that an overtime round will be assigned on such occasions. Another unique aspect is the fact that none of the boxers know who they will fight until hours before the clash.
“Not knowing who I’m fighting genuinely does not bother me. I never look at an opponent anyway. I just want to be the best Paul Ryan. Also I’ve been in the big internationals the Worlds and Europeans and stuff. I know the drill, so I had a little bit of experience to touch on in my preparation for this,” comments Ryan.
“Like I said I never train for one single opponent. My goal is to be the best me. Obviously, when we get specific names going forward, we’ll dial in in terms of specific spars and game plans. But until then, it doesn’t matter at all,” he adds before discussing how the oppurtuinity came about.
“My manager got onto me back in December, saying applications were open. We sent one in and in all honestly, I didn’t think much about it. I almost forgot about it untill around early February, we got the shout we’ve been selected.”
