Padraig McCrory has a World title plan.
‘The Hammer’ returns to the ring on top of a Conlan Boxing card at the SSE Arena on Friday night, fighting for the first time since he suffered a first career defeat to Edgar Berlanga in February.
The Belfast super middleweight’s first goal is to return to winning ways and then he’ll set his sights on a short journey toward a world title tilt.
McCrory believes the 168lbs titles may become fragmented, depending on what Canelo does, and he wants to ensure he is in a position to take advantage.
The 36-year-old boxer and boxing manager is targeting wins that will return him to the Top 15 in the world from where he can launch a world title assault.
“I take it fight by fight, but I have a three-fight plan to get back into title contention,” McCrory said speaking to ProBox.
“Who knows what will happen with Canelo? He could move up, challenge Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev, and those belts could be spread out. My aim is to get back in the world rankings and into position for a big opportunity.”
Victory over Leonard Carrillo at the SSE Arena may not prove a massive ranking boost for ‘Big Purple’. However, the Spain-based Columbian has the banana skink potential.
The Barranquilla native is a southpaw with an impressive knockout ratio.
“He’s a southpaw with 16 knockouts and fought at a really good level as an amateur,” McCrory comments.
“I’ve boxed plenty of southpaws in the amateurs and a couple as a pro, so I know I can adapt and do what’s needed to win. But yeah, he has 16 KOs, so I’m going to need to be switched on. He probably sees me as a chance to get a big fight, and I can’t let that happen,” he adds before reflecting on the Berlanga defeat.
“Yeah, listen, I’m 36 now. “The experience was great, and I think I’ll learn from it, but the performance that night just wasn’t good enough. I don’t think I showed up.”
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