By 
DUNGANNON’S Charles ‘The Dream’ McDonagh is confident that he will enjoy a ‘Burns Night’ to remember when he returns to Glasgow for a first ever six round professional encounter tomorrow night.
His fifth fight in the paid ranks will take place during the St Andrew’s Sporting Club’s Burns Night event in Glasgow’s Radisson Blu where the 21-year-old father-of-one will come up against an as yet unnamed opponent at the same venue where he made his professional debut 14 months earlier.
And while he’s going into the unknown due to the late naming of his foe, the former Cookstown Boxing Club alumnus isn’t phased by that.
“I was told the guy I was going to fight and then it wasn’t confirmed and then I was told of a different guy, but that isn’t confirmed yet, so I’m just sitting waiting to hear who I’ll be fighting,” McDonagh explained.
“Not my last fight, my previous two fights, the week before my opponents changed just like that, so I’m used to it. It’s fine.”
Having showed plenty of class and skill in his previous four encounters, all of which ended in points wins over Nestor Maradiaga, Karl Sampson, Owen Durnan and Kasey Bradnum, McDonagh is looking forward to moving up from four to six rounds when he feels those in attendance will get to see a more complete performance.
“It will be my second fight in Glasgow on one of their biggest nights, so the atmosphere should be special given it’s Burns Night and I think six rounds will suit me a lot better,: he added.
“I feel, in my last fight, the first round I was drawing [Bradnum] out and then second and third rounds I was really getting into the flow and the next thing the fight was over.
“I was only starting to feel good and this time I’m looking forward to the six rounds because at this stage of my career I’d rather bank as many rounds as I can. And then once I get up to Championship level, if I’m stopping people that’s what I want. Now, I want to get rounds in the bank and build experience so I know how it feels to go the distance, fighting tricky opponents so I know what to do and then I’ll have that experience there when I get to title level,”
After what he believes will be a fifth straight victory, Charles is looking forward to celebrating his 22nd birthday at the end of this month when he’ll be able to make up for missing out on any Christmas over-indulgence.
“It was a quiet Christmas – there wasn’t a lot of sweets or chocolate ate with this weight cut!,” he laughed. “It’s always hard [to resist temptation] over Christmas and with this fight being so close – last year I fought on February 2nd, so I had a bit more time, whereas this time I had to restrict myself more and keep up on training.
“It was a wee bit mentally testing, but you have to be mentally strong because that’s what this game is all about. It was a good Christmas though [with son Mason enjoying his first festive season].”
