PADRAIG McCrory says it is a huge honour to have been presented with the Eddie Shaw Memorial Trophy as the fighter of 2020 by the NI Area Council of the British Boxing Board of Control.

'The Hammer' scored a stunning 70-second demolition win over Mickey Ellison last September in what many thought was 50/50 fight, but the St James' man was in sensational form to improve to 11-0.

McCrory joined an illustrious list as the recipient of the trophy, but as with everything this year, it was far from straightforward as he finally got his hands on the silverware recently.

"Towards the end of last year, just after my win over Mickey Ellison, John Campbell (NI Area Secretary) phoned me and said that he and (Dr) Martin Duffy would like to meet up, but I didn't know why," said the super-middleweight who turned 33 on Sunday.

"Unfortunately, I had to isolate as I had been a close contact but he called back about three weeks ago and said he still had the award. I asked him what award, and he said the Eddie Shaw Trophy.

"There are some huge names on it like Frampton - my favourite fighter - so it's great."

McCrory had hoped to push on earlier this year when he was due to tangle with Germaine Brown back in March in another step-up, but a freak knee injury just days out left him with no other option but to withdraw.

"A lot of fluid developed and it became unbearable," he recalled.

"I got home, went straight to the hospital and they gave me an antibiotic. It was still lingering on so I went back to the hospital, got an X-ray, got blood tests and it ended up a bad case of bursitis. It was just one of those things that took a while to clear up."

The injury has cleared and next up for the West Belfast man is a significant outing at the Falls Park on August 6 as part of the Féile an Phobail card due to be topped by Michael Conlan.

It was recently revealed that 'The Hammer' would be in a high-risk, high-reward fight and it is believed Russia's Sergei Gorokhov, who took the WBC International Silver super-middleweight title from the previously 27-0 Marko Nikolic, is the man in the frame.

That is still to be officially confirmed, but for the 33-year-old Belfast man who has built a record of 11-0 as a professional, this calibre of opposition would tick the box.

The hope is to have upwards of 7000 at the Féile an Phobail event should restrictions allow and McCrory, from nearby St James', is thrilled to be a major feature of the night.

"I'm going in against a really good fighter who has a title that I want, so I have to win that belt," said McCrory.

"I've trained very hard for it, so hopefully we can have over 7000 people at the Falls Park and that is a massive thing to look forward to. August 6 may seem like it's away next year, but it's only around the corner."

McCrory's last outing was a 70-second destruction of Mickey Ellison
2Gallery

McCrory's last outing was a 70-second destruction of Mickey Ellison

McCrory is tipping Conlan to push on and claim major honours to emerge as the next world champion from Belfast, but is keen to forge his own path in the post-Frampton era with a defining victory.

"It's a massive event topped by Michael Conlan who is looking to fill the shoes of Carl Frampton and I'm sure he can," he predicts.

"I think he's a brilliant fighter who will achieve great things in boxing.

"To be on that undercard on the Falls Road, right beside where I was born and raised, in a serious fight is massive for me and my career.

"In Belfast, we are spoilt for choice. You have myself, (Tyrone) McKenna who is a bit further on, (Lewis) Crocker who is further on, (Sean) McComb who lost last time out but I expect will be on the Féile card as well looking to get the ball rolling.

"There are lost of people there already who can fill the void of Carl Frampton and I want to throw my hat in the ring, so winning this next fight will give me a really high world ranking."