DUBLIN Gaelic Football star Kevin McManamon gave James McGivern the helping hand he needed to return to boxing after the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, who turned professional with MTK last week, wrestled with thoughts of turning his back on the sport he now loves again.
As a talented amateur McGivern, was also a gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Youth Games and had been tipped as a future Irish Olympian. But then changes in the Olympic weight classes meant the upper limit in the lightweight division changed from 56-60kg to 57-63kg.
Suddenly stylish southpaw McGivern found himself thrown in against bigger, heaver opponents and deteriorating mental health led him to a career crossroads before All-Ireland-winning forward McManamon stepped in.
“At the end of last year it got to its worst,” explained McGivern, the reigning Irish Elite champion.
“I was in a bad way and a lot of things I wouldn’t talk about now went on. There were a lot of personal things that happened and I got pretty low, I got to the stage where I was ready to throw the head up and I reached the point where I knew I needed to get help.
“I would get up in the morning and decide to get on with it but it got to the point where I couldn’t do that anymore and I knew I needed to speak to someone.”
McManamon, sports psychologist with the Ireland High Performance team in Dublin, brought in a guest speaker whose own experiences resonated with McGivern.
“Everything he was saying, I was thinking: ‘That happened to me… That happened to me…’ and I realised I needed to get help,” he explained.
“Whenever I spoke to Kevin after it he was surprised, everyone was surprised because around the camp I was always the happy one, the bubbly one. He set the wheels in motion thankfully and a lot of thanks have to go to him, even for me coming back now, a lot of thanks have to go to him.
“If I hadn’t had the guts to speak to him it would have just spiralled out of control and I would have stopped boxing altogether.
“I’m doing good now. I fell out of love with boxing and now I’m exciting to go to training again and excited to get up in the morning and go to training. I’m back learning about boxing instead of thinking I know it all and that I could beat anyone with my eyes closed. ”
It was Danny ‘Danso’ Boyle, a coach at McGivern’s club St George’s ABC, who first encouraged the 22-year-old McGivern to consider turning professional. Last week he followed fellow prospects Paul McCullough and Fearghus Quinn in the ranks of MTK who have been at the centre of the resurgence of Belfast’s now vibrant pro boxing scene.
“I was going to stop boxing and just focus on getting myself better but I was chatting to ‘Danso’ and he was saying: ‘You’re too good to jack this in’ and he mentioned going pro,” McGivern explained.
“I thought to myself that I would be at home around my own family and friends, for the first while at least, I wouldn’t be on my own.
“Not that I was on my own as an amateur but being in hotel rooms and all that… I just wasn’t happy, I was suffering a bit from depression.
“I took time away and came to terms with everything that happened and I thought going pro could be really good for me. I don’t want to say I’m better but I’m better than I was and I think I’m ready to come back and give it a go.
“Since I’ve been back training, I’ve been really excited and really looking forward to getting started – I’m back to the old James.”
McGivern will train at the St George’s in the Markets area of Belfast along with his father Jim and trusted coach Boyle. He hopes to make his professional debut in the city in April and then stay busy and graduate from undercard attraction to bill-topper.
“The scene in Belfast is buzzing,” he said.
“How long it will last for I don’t know but I say to people: ‘I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time’ and I want to get on the ball here and get rolling. I’m glad I’m back.”
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TYSON Fury insists he is only just getting started having reinvented himself as a "beast" with a spectacular destruction of WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
The 31-year-old former Irish heavyweight champion had promised to be aggressive in this rematch against Wilder, after his elusive boxing tactics were not enough to secure the belt in their first fight 14 months ago.
He delivered in style, flooring Wilder twice at the MGM Grand and beating the champion up to the extent his corner pulled him out in the seventh round.
"I'm my own worst critic and even though it was a fantastic performance and I got a great win, I know I can do better," he said.
"I've only just started with my new trainer, SugarHill Steward. We only had seven weeks to perfect a Kronk Gym style. But I'm a quick learner and I aim to get back to the gym straightaway, to work on balance and straight punches.
"I'm going to be putting people to sleep left, right and centre. Don't forget when I came here people said I can't punch. Wilder himself said I've got 'pillow fists' in the past.
"Well it didn't do badly for an old fat guy who can't punch, did I?"
Asked whether he believes he is the biggest puncher in the heavyweight division, Fury said: "No... I'm an old feather duster who can't break an egg, aren't I?
"But 21 knockouts in 31 fights isn't so bad considering I never really look for knockouts, I've always looked to use my boxing skill.
"With this weight and technique we can knock out anybody. When I jumped on the scales people thought I hadn't come for a fight, that I'd underestimated Wilder, come for a payday. When I got in there I felt like a beast. This is my weight."
Fury has now held all of the major world titles in the division, having outclassed Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to win the WBA, WBO and IBF belts before spiralling into a spell of depression and inactivity.
Fury - who socialised with fans in Vegas in the wake of his win - still believes a third match with Wilder could happen.
"The spoils of war are fresh," he said. "I need to enjoy this victory and Deontay needs time to recover. But I'm almost sure he'll take the rematch because he's a dynamite puncher and he can take someone out at any time.
"With that level of danger, you can always win a fight. I'm sure we'll do it again if he wants to."
