Graham McCormack ready for war in Glasgow: 'I'm going to win no matter what'
At 38, the Limerick man knows he isn't getting any younger, but a win over Darren Johnstone (10-1) on Saturday night would see McCormack (10-4-1) claim the British Boxing Board of Control Celtic Super Middleweight title, which would open plenty of options for him going forward at this late stage of his career.
After leaving for Dublin Airport from Limerick at 1am on Friday morning, the southpaw lost the last few pounds in his hotel room after touching down in Glasgow shortly after 7am to make weight ahead of the midday weigh-in.
"I'm not getting any younger, but I feel great," McCormack said after Friday's weigh-in. "I feel absolutely brilliant in the gym. Mentally, I feel good. Physically, I feel good. I'm strong, I'm healthy. How long can we keep going for? I'm going to keep pushing the boundaries as much as I can."
The Shaun Kelly-trained fighter knows he has a tough task ahead of him, but is confident his hand will be raised in victory as he vows to bring the belt back to Limerick.
"I'm going to win here tomorrow night and open the door for some more opportunities," he added.
"I know we have a tough task ahead of us, but we're fully focused on the job we have to do.
"We have a lot of time to recover now and chill out and relax and get ready to go to war.
"I'm going to win no matter what. I'm going for a knockout, if it's a points win, whatever, but I am coming home with that belt to Limerick City."
Next weekend marks one year since McCormack was knocked out by English fighter George Liddard (now 11-0) in the first round of their bout on the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall rematch card in Leeds, with fellow Limerick man Paddy Donovan stopping Lewis Ritson on the same card, while Naas native Gary Cully recorded an unanimous decision win over Francesco Patera.
After conversations with those closest to him after that defeat, McCormack decided to keep his career going and returned to winning ways with a knockout win over Craig McCarthy in December, knocking the Waterford man down three times on his way to a career best victory as he avenged his defeat to McCarthy from April 2023.
"We had a lot of stuff going on outside of boxing last year," stated McCormack. "When I drew with the journeyman (Octavian Gratii), and when I lost to George Liddard, now Liddard is a great fighter, I'm not taking anything from him, but at that time, for me, I was not 100% in boxing.
"Me and my wife and family, we had a lot of stuff going on outside of boxing and I just wasn't focused on boxing 100% that I needed to be.
"After that loss, I sat down with my trainer and my team, and they said, 'do you want it anymore'? I said to myself, do I want it anymore? And I put in a hell of a camp for Craig McCarthy, got the knockout win, and I realised I do still want it.
"Those whole few months I wasn't focused on boxing. Shaun will tell you that.
"I'm never going to be a ripped, lean, six-pack fighter, but even if you looked at me, I wasn't training properly. Whereas now, I'm in good condition. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I know I put in the work. Whereas last year, I wasn't putting in the work."
And the hard work has been rewarded, with McCormack knowing fine well how big an opportunity he has in Glasgow on Saturday night.
"I don't think people realise it's a ranking title. It gives you a ranking around Europe so it's a huge opportunity," said McCormack.
"We approached this camp with that in mind, that it was a huge opportunity and that we had to win this fight.
"These last 10 weeks have been absolutely gruelling, but good and I've done everything I needed to do. Ticked all the boxes. I'm ready to rock now."
On his opponent, who is 12 years younger than him, McCormack added: "He's tall. That's about it. I don't make anything of him. I haven't looked too much into him. My trainer has. I'm focused on me and my job and what I have to do to get the win.
"He's a good fighter. I'm not going to bury my head in the sand. He's a good fighter. He's 10-1. He's a champion, but I'm a better fighter."
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