Tyrone McCullagh talks about next opponent Josh Kennedy and the crowd lifting him up through his last fight
Unbeaten super-bantamweight Tyrone McCullagh hopes to reward deafening support at MTK Global’s Belfast show with victory in his European title fight.
‘White Chocolate’ (11-0-KO6) climbed off the canvas to cruise to the Celtic crown against Joe Ham (14-1) last time out and is relishing the prospect of even more noise when he takes on Josh Kennedy for the WBO European belt at the Titanic Exhibition Centre on October 5.
McCullagh said: “I’m very lucky to have a great following from both Derry and Belfast. Everyone gets behind me when I fight and I’m very grateful for that.
“It should be a jam-packed arena and I’m relishing that. The atmosphere picks me up a level or two – I know that from the noise when I fought Joe Ham. There was no chance I wasn’t getting up!
“The noise carried me through the fight; especially in the later rounds. When you hear them, it really gives you a lift.”
As he prepares to take another significant step up in facing a fellow unbeaten fighter in Kent’s Kennedy (11-0-KO5), McCullagh knows he’ll need to keep improving if he’s to climb to the very top.
The 27-year-old southpaw said: “The belt means a lot to me but boxers always want bigger and better belts. It’s great to have it on the line but the main thing is a big step up in opponent. I feel ready.
“Winning the Celtic title was an unbelievable feeling but it’s just a minor title in the grand scheme of things. In boxing, you always want more. When I was young, I thought I’d be happy with a national title but once I’d done that, I wanted more and more.
“I’ve seen a few clips of Kennedy and he seems big and strong but I’m very confident in my own ability. You have to beat these kind of lads if you want to make it to the top.
“If I can’t beat Kennedy, I’m going to have to take a long, hard look at myself.”
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