BOXING: Glenn McCrory looking to develop local fighter

McCrory has been there and done it as a boxer and climbed to the very highest level the sport had to offer before delivering his expert opinion as a boxing pundit on Sky Sports for 27 years before moving onto pastures new.

The former cruiserweight enjoyed his time out of the sport and after being asked several times to become involved in the sport as a trainer he finally said ‘yes’ to a young lad from these shores - Sean McGlinchey.

McGlinchey won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games before deciding to turn professional and McCrory says this was the kind of fighter he had been looking for.

“Sean had spoken to me a few times about me training him but the timing hadn’t been right for me.

“But he kept asking and stayed patient and I decided to take him on. He is a good kid, hard working and he has got talent. So I am looking forward to working with him.

“His professional debut will take place in the Devenish Complex in Belfast on April 22 and I am looking forward to it,” he said.

And McGlinchey will not have to travel to England to train with McCrory.

“My partner is from Donegal and I will be setting up camp in Culdaff. Her folks have a place there and it is perfect for a training camp.

“It’s on the sea and it is the perfect spot to set up my base.

“We have everything we need here and this is going to be an old school kind of gym.

“Boxing is a hard sport and the training and preparation has to be hard. So there will be no luxury.”

And McCrory says he has arrived in Ireland at the right time as boxing is on the up.

“There is a real buzz about boxing in Ireland. This place has so many young and talented fighters and I think this is the perfect time to get involved,” he added.

Meanwhile a head cold has forced Jamie Conlan to postpone his upcoming fight against Yader Cardoza at the Belfast Waterfront on February 18.

The bill will now take place on March 10.