‘The Breakout’ (Ulster Hall, Saturday, live on DAZN from 7pm)

THE opponent may have changed, but Owen O’Neill is just happy to be back in the ring after a difficult period in his personal and professional life.

O’Neill was due to meet Dominic Donegan on Saturday, but a hand injury sustained by the Cavan man in training ruled him out. In comes Belfast-based Slovakian Edgar Kemsky (3-6-1) who will offer a different test, but one in which he ought to feel confident he canvass to maintain his undefeated record.

Back in October, the North Belfast man was due to face Declan Geraghty for the vacant Irish welterweight title, but that fell apart when it emerged he was nowhere near the weight limit.

‘The Operator’ was a whopping 10lbs over 147 limit, leaving him devastated and others fuming.

It would be easy to pin the blame on O’Neill not taking the job seriously, but in reality, factors outside the ring contributed to how that fight week played out.

Having just buried his grandmother, his intention to use his grief as a motivating factor just wasn’t feasible as his training suffered.

It was a dark time for the North Belfast man who now had criticism when he needed an arm around his shoulder, but the experience has made the 28-year-old stronger and he gets ready to face Kemsky on Saturday.

“I lost my nanny seven weeks out from the fight and just didn’t realise how much it would affect me,” he admitted.

“My nanny brought me up, I lived with her so it was like losing a mum. The fact I watched her suffer with cancer, I thought I could use as motivation, but it hit me harder than I thought.

“I still lost something like 17 kilos in seven weeks, but it just wasn’t enough. I should have been man enough to say I needed to postpone, but then you are thinking you are letting everyone down and I told my nanny before she died that I would win that Irish title for her.

“It was the toughest time of my life, but a lesson learned and I’ve taken positives from it. I’m in a good place now with a new team, so the future’s bright.”

That new team includes fellow pro and former training partner Padraig McCrory as manager, while Dan Anderson is his head trainer.

O’Neill knows both men as well as they know him, drawing strength from Anderson’s friendship and inspiration from the exploits of McCrory’s career.

“I started my career with Dan,” he revealed.

“He’s not just been a coach but there when times have been tough. He doesn’t let me mess about and rings me every morning at half seven to make sure I’m up and out.

“I’ve also got ‘Pody’ McCrory as my manager, someone who cares about me and wants me to do well. He’s an inspiration to many people, but especially to me.

“The first title he won was the (BUI) Celtic and that’s the first I’ve won, so I can only look to him and try to follow in his footsteps. He’s a down to earth guy, someone I look up to and I’m glad he’s in my corner.”

It’s not just the Ulster Hall that is occupying his mind this week, but as a huge Cliftonville fan he is desperate to see The Reds get the day off to a good start against Larne in the Irish Cup semi-final.

But he is desperate to hold up his end of the bargain and repay the faith those placed in him despite what transpired in October.

“After the Geraghty thing, I thought my career was over,” he admitted.

“This is a chance to put the past behind me and get back in the mix, but also thank everyone who has supported me.  Also, Cliftonville play in the semi-final of the Irish Cup that day (against Larne) so I’m hoping for two massive North Belfast wins.”