McCrory’s keen for swift ring return after victory

FEARGAL McCrory doesn’t want to waste any more time.

The Coalisland man has missed three years of his promising boxing career thanks to the Covid-19 Pandemic and management issues and after making a winning ring return in New York on Saturday, September 17th, he’s keen to ‘strike while the iron his hot’.

The 30-year-old defeated ‘El Matrix’ Cesar Cantu by unanimous decision in Brooklyn Masonic Temple at the weekend to extend his record to 12-0 and while he admits his performance was ‘rusty’, he acknowledges he needs more fights and quickly if he’s to achieve his career ambitions.

“There’s always room for improvement. It was obviously rusty but I tried very hard to get rid of the rust by sparring,” he acknowledged.

“But once you step out into the ring for a fight it’s different but that’s the first one done and I want to get back out right away.

“We have to build on Saturday night. We have to build on the performance, we have to build on that momentum but we also have to build upon what we’re trying to achieve in America. We can’t let it go cold, we have to strike while the iron is hot.

“We have to keep going and we’ll get straight back into it because I want to fight twice before the end of the year. If I had my way I’d fight twice before Christmas and then have a big one before St Paddy’s Day somewhere in America.

“But again, it’s a case of one fight at a time and we’ll set out our plan and once they [his management team] deliver dates it will be up to me to deliver in the ring.”

McCrory’s original opponent, Canadain Alejandro Torres Rynn, backed out of the fight late on, leaving the southpaw wondering if his long-awaited return was going to happen.

But thankfully Cantu stepped in and he proved to be a tough workout, just what the Tyrone man needed after three years of sparring without a competitive bout.

“It felt good to be back in the ring again for a competitive bout but the fight was in jeopardy twice [in the week before it] and I just thought ‘here we go again!’, Feargal explained.

“It was like de ja vu, I had one eye on it and one eye off it for a number of days throughout the week because Torres had agreed to the fight and then the week before he got cold feet and wouldn’t answer his phone, wouldn’t send his passport details to get his flights booked, he would do nothing.

“He had months of preparation and notice to fight me, so then they got a replacement, Cesar Cantu, who was very awkward. He had ridiculously long arms and he did a lot of spoiling and holding. He gave a good fight but I do feel I won the fight clearly but he gave me a good workout.

“I got six rounds in, I’m happy to have got them and to have something to build on.”