JACK O’Neill has warmed to professional boxing nicely with two wins from two in 2024, but the heat is set to rise on February 1 when the West Belfast man begins the new year with an outing at the Ulster Hall.

The 24-year-old is no stranger to the Bedford Street venue, having claimed the 2019 Ulster Elite light-flyweight title there with victory over Rory Baird when representing the Corpus Christie Club.

At the time, O’Neill hoped this would be the beginning of a journey that would see him build towards the Commonwealth and perhaps even Olympic Games, but it was not to be.

But boxing is in the blood and working as a coach in Tribe Belfast, he teamed up with owners and former fighting brothers, Ray and Mark Ginley. A chat with the former set the wheels in motion to put the gloves back on again and pursue a crack at the pro game.

He made his debut at the SSE Arena in August with a points win over Jake Pollard and repeated the trick in November against Steven Maguire, but there is something special about the Ulster Hall and the claustrophobic atmosphere it brings.

“There’s no better venue here than the SSE, so getting two fights in there was amazing,” said O’Neill who is seeking to begin the year with a bang.

“My first pro fight was live on DAZN, which I wasn’t expecting as you are just hoping not to be the first fight (of the night). I’ve fought in the Ulster Hall before - it’s iconic and the atmosphere’s electric, so I’m looking forward to it.

“The balcony, it feels like they are on top of you when you are in the ring which is amazing. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s roasting because it’s packed out, but this show will be amazing as it sells out.”

Jack, who initially had hopes of making it in soccer in his early teens, played for Cliftonville’s youth teams, but although he didn’t know it at the time, he was about to enter the family business.

His older brother, Alex O’Neill joined St Oliver Plunkett in Andersonstown, so Jack followed him by the age of 11. What he was unaware of, was his dad and grandfather, both also called Alex, were former boxers, so the sweet science was in the genes. With a choice to make by the age of 14, boxing became his focus.

“My dad was a really good amateur, a seven-time All-Ireland champion,” he outlined.

“My granda was a professional too, so I just have to beat them and I can say I’m the greatest O’Neill in the family!

“When Ray talked to me about turning over, I said: ‘You’ve convinced me, but I want to have a chat with my da first’. My da had a chance to go pro when he was 17 but didn’t take it and I think he regrets it.

“He just said to me that sometimes you get an opportunity and you have to take it, so the decision was made. It’s just so that when I get to his age I have no regrets and did everything in boxing and gave it everything.”

Transitioning from amateur to professional takes a little time as it is a completely different style of boxing where slowing the pace and sitting down on shots is key, rather than the three-round sprints he had grown up with as an amateur.

Therefore, it helps he has coaches who have experienced doing the same and his two performances to date have shown he is on the right path.

Living the life is just as important as although the gyms are now packed with those seeking to make up for over-indulgence over the festive period, O’Neill was mindful that he is in no position to do that with fight night approaching.

“As an amateur, I would have been known as a good boxer, on the toes moving, hit and don’t get hit,” he reflected.

“Ray is changing my style completely to put more weight behind my punches. It’s good to have a Plan B too, if I need it, but I’m enjoying learning the new stuff instead of just training to get fit for a fight. This is more learning, adapting and trying new tactics.

“It’s still a lot of 6am runs and dedication to make weight, but I love this.

“Missing out on stuff at Christmas gets me more motivated as you think about the nights out you miss and you go into the fight mentally ready because you know you’ve done everything. You can get hurt in this game, so you can’t half-ass it. You’re either all in or all out.”

Facing journeymen can be frustrating as those paid survivors know every trick in the book, but those are the tricks that must be learnt as part of the education.

O’Neill will take another step on his journey in just over three weeks and do so in front of the BBC cameras which will broadcast the ‘Nations Fight Night’ live - providing an opportunity to showcase his skills to a much wider audience than ever before.

Therefore, he is hoping to put on a big display and win new admirers, but is also mindful he can’t let the occasion get to him and take unnecessary risks or things can go very wrong.

“This is a massive opportunity as the fights are coming on after the Ireland-England rugby match, so people watching will see the boxing is coming after and click on,” he acknowledged.

“The more eyes on you the better. You want people thinking: ‘That kid’s good - when is he fighting next?’.

“You don’t want to just get in there and beat someone, but it’s boring (to watch).

“Obviously, you’re not going to go in there and put yourself in danger, but you’re there to throw a lot of punches, hurt someone and look good.”