Weight and See for Debutant Paul Loonam
Paul Loonam is preaching patience ahead of his pro debut this coming Friday night.
There is a large degree of excitement surrounding the Offaly native’s move into the pro ranks and a lot of chatter regarding how he will fit into a burgeoning super bantamweight scene.
‘The Boxer’ fueled that excitement when, upon confirming he was turning over, he declared he had instant title intentions.
However, speaking ahead of his Mayday Mayhem debut against Stefan Nicolae at the Warehouse, the JB Promotions man was less bombastic and talked about taking a more measured approach to life without the vest.
“I’m sure my manager Jay Byrne is looking to fast-track me as I have an extensive amateur career. But I am only 22 years of age, I have some time on my side and I will be sure to be patient with my growth into the pro ranks,” the European U22 medal winner told Irish-boxing.com.
Loonam also revealed he may not be targeting titles in a weight division that includes the likes of BUI Celtic champion Ruadhan Farrell, Connor Kerr and Gerard Hughes.
Rather he suggests he may be able to make 118lbs, particularly when it comes to title time.
“Looking at the super bantamweight scene here in Ireland there’s some good operators that I potentially will be in the mix with. Although, I’m not set in stone at super bantamweight. Since working with my nutritionist Adam “AkaTheMethod”, the weight for this fight will not be a problem to make, so we may be looking at bantamweight in the near future. Time will tell.”
Realistically, the lack of dance partners at bantam may prompt Loonam and his team to survey the weight above when it comes to titles for the now-former underage amateur standout.
Nonetheless, the 2023 Irish Elite champ is confident he will be a success regardless of what the scales reads when he steps on them.
“As in boxing skills, I fit in right at the top. As in weight, we’re just not sure yet so nothing is set in stone as per my weight.”
