McDonagh even more focused on August fight

PREPARATIONS for Charles McDonagh’s third professional fight will be massively different to his first two as he prepares to become a father for the first time.

The 21-year-old defeated Nestor Maradiaga on debut in Glasgow in October 2024 before following that up with a composed points triumph over Karl Sampson in the Ulster Hall in February of this year and while he would have preferred to have been back in the ring before his next scheduled bout on August 2, he admits that the arrival of his first child has to take precedence.

“My last one was in February so it’s good to get something lined up to keep focused and to get a win again. I’m buzzing, I can’t wait for it,” he said.

“I had a few wee things come up, we’re actually having a baby, me and my girlfriend, so with all that it meant a fight I was supposed to have in June didn’t really suit me. So I spoke to my manager and he said they’d get me out in August time, which is the perfect time for me.”

The added responsibility of a child hasn’t distracted McDonagh from the job at hand ahead of his bout on the Maximum Risk fight night in Belfast’s Girdwood Community Hub on August 2. If anything, he feels even more focused on what he has to do and what he wants to achieved on the back of becoming a father.

“The fight is eight weeks after [the birth of his first child] so I’ll have to get into a routine! That will be the biggest challenge, balancing everything, but I’ll have to deal with it.

“I’ll take as many naps as I can!,” he joked.

“I can’t afford to take my eye off anything at the moment, particularly in boxing because if you make one slip up you’ll be found out.

“But the fact we have the child on the way has made my mindset even better because I always wanted to succeed in boxing but now I have to succeed because I have a family to provide for.”

l For tickets to Charles’ next bout on August 2nd, contact him via Facebook.