West Belfast’s Sean McComb is set to return to the ring later this month in Galway’s Pearse Stadium in what will be his first fight under new promoter, GBM Sports.
When the opening bell rings, it will end a 14-month period of inactivity since his last outing against America's Arnold Barboza Jr in April of last year.
That night in Brooklyn, he suffered a narrow loss through a highly contentious split decision. As yet another victim of controversial judging, he could be forgiven for feeling demotivated and disillusioned with the sport, but McComb insists he has been chasing fights and is eager to bounce back and make his presence felt within the super lightweight division.
Due to fight Dublin’s Pierce O’Leary on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn in late April, the deal fell through while the ink was still wet and he remains without an opponent.
This is of little surprise as he finds himself in a difficult situation. McComb’s boxing masterclass against Barboza Jr did not go unnoticed and he is a man people would rather avoid as they plot their way to the top. Unfortunately, the loss has seen him slip down the rankings, meaning there is little to gain from fighting him.
It prompts the question: does boxing need to move away from its promotion and negotiation-based means of making fights and move to mandated match-ups? Not only at the top but the whole way through each division. Ultimately, this would put an end to forced inactivity through avoidance and make more fights happen. Food for thought.
Irrespective of this, whoever he faces, McComb is confident of a winning return and improving on his impressive professional 18-2 record (W/L). The West Belfast southpaw is at least two fights away from a world title shot, so will be keen to impress again in Galway.
So, who could he fight? A clash with Jack Catterall seemed like an obvious and interesting choice, but with the Englishman announcing his move into the welterweight division and securing a fight against Harlem Eubank in July, this is now off the table.
Dalton Smith already has two victories this year and is the mandatory challenger for the WBC Super lightweight title, meaning a match-up with McComb won't be on his radar.
Another option is British rising prospect Adam Azim. This fight benefits both fighters; the hard-hitting youngster holds an impressive record of 13 wins, 10 by knockout and is ready to step up his calibre of opponent - McComb provides this.
Jack Rafferty is another potential opponent. The undefeated Englishman has an aggressive approach which would make for a compelling match-up against McComb's more composed, skilful and technical style. A win for McComb would help to propel him back up the rankings and one step closer to big title fights, potentially a much-anticipated rematch with Barboza along the way.
The event dubbed ‘Galway Glory’ features a stacked card with Galway’s Kieran Molloy headlining as he faces Kaisee Benjamin for the WBA European Welterweight title.
