“They’ve Been There, Done It” – Barry McReynolds Inspired by Belfast Big Brothers
Barry McReynolds says having the likes of Anthony Cacace and Caoimhin Agyarko in his corner is providing him with more than motivation — it’s giving him the knowledge and belief to push forward in his own professional journey.
The Belfast prospect made it two wins from two recently after a gutsy performance that saw him fight through both a fractured hand and a cut eye to secure victory.
On the night, the JB Promotions boxer had a whole lot of Holy Trinity backing with the likes of Caoimhin Agyarko and Ruari Dalton part of his team.
In camp, he rubs shoulders with former world champion and Irish boxing’s leading man at present, Anthony Cacace – and he claims their collective influence is massive.
“Having them around is brilliant,” he told Irish-boxing.com. “They’ve been there, done it. They’ve fought in the small halls and under the big lights. For the questions I have, they have the answers. They’re great motivation for me — I always looked up to them when I was a kid, and I still do to this day.”
That influence was evident on fight night, as McReynolds showed heart, adaptability, and composure when presented with in ring issues for the first time in his young career. The 25-year-old revealed that he broke his hand in the very first round of his fight with the experienced Jakub Laskowski.
“I hit him with a left hook on the top of the head and just felt it go straight away,” he said. “The adrenaline got me through a wee bit, but near the end it was excruciating.”
Despite the injury — and a cut that opened up over his eye — McReynolds embraced the challenge.
“It was actually one of the most enjoyable things I’ve had,” he explained. “I showed a different side of my game. I don’t get to show enough boxing sometimes — especially in small hall shows where you have to try and make an impression to get the highlights and get back on the show. So it was good to show the boxing ability too.”
Even with just one functioning hand, McReynolds came close to ending the contest inside the distance.
“I hurt him in the last round. I only had one hand anyway, but I seen him call me on and I was like, ‘He’s hurt here.’ So I went on him. But he survived it out — fair play to him, he was tough. Very tough. He had a very hard head… as you can see, my hand’s in bits.”
The win came after a string of late changes and withdrawals from opponents, something McReynolds believes is a by-product of the attention his debut knockout win brought.
“Two or three opponents have been changed or just turned it away,” he said. “But hopefully that makes it a bit easier now.”
The man he ended up facing was no pushover either.
“He’s fought a lot of the top British prospects and British champions. A lot of them haven’t stopped him or have only won one round against him, so it was a good step up.”
Despite the battle scars — a broken hand, a cut, and four hard-fought rounds — McReynolds insists he’s happy with the experience and ready to grow from it.
“I’ve been boxing 16 years and never had a broken hand or a cut — and I got both of them! And I’d never done four rounds before, so I got them all there.”
