Familiar surrounds aiding Cathal McLaughlin’s pro switch

Cathal McLaughlin believes that the lack of change since flipping over to the professional ranks has been his biggest help.

The Raphoe Boxing Club graduate goes to the ring again on Friday night in Belfast for his second pro contest.

In August, McLaughlin defeated Martin Shaw on his pro debut at the SSE Arena and the 27-year-old goes back to Odyssey Place on the River Lagan’s banks for a showdown with Allan White from Newry.

McLaughlin is managed by former world middleweight title challenger Jason Quigley and is still coached at Raphoe BC by Gary McCullagh and Gerard Keaveney. He still holds down a day job, working as a rep for takepayments.

“It’s hard going,” says McLaughlin, who won an Irish Intermediate title in 2023. “You’re going from training straight to work and then, after work, it’s straight back to training again.

“A big thing that has stood to me is not changing anything. I still work 9-5 and come into the club. The thing that has changed is that I’m in bigger fights now.

Cathal McLaughlin with his team after his pro debut win

“Belfast is as local as you can get. I can build a good fanbase there too. The support from the locality and especially the club is brilliant.

“I want to stay busy now. I’m 27 and I just want to keep training and keep working to see how far I can take it.”

McLaughlin this weeks features on the undercard of a bill headlined by Padraig McCrory’s return to action in his native Belfast with a joust against Leonard Carrillo.

Ruadhan Farrell and Conor Kerr clash for the BUI Irish super-bantamweight title and McLaughlin wants to swiftly make his own way into challenging for some domestic honours.

“I would love a belt,” he says. “That’s the next goal. I need to win these fights first and see what comes up. My end goal is a belt. It’ll take a few more wins and a few more fights. I need to keep looking good and performing.

“The last one, I could have done more. I could have put the foot down on the gas a bit more. It was probably down to nerves. I should have opened up a bit more.”

McLaughlin was the 40-36 points winner on the card of referee Dominic Conlan to give his pro career a winning start.

“The best night of my life,” he enthuses. “It was something completely different. Words can’t actually describe it. It was amazing and I was just buzzing at it for a couple of weeks after it. I just want more now.

“The atmosphere was brilliant. That’s what you do it for, those people, family and friends, who come along and shout on for you.”

The Strabane native hopped on a plane to Dubai in the days after beating Shaw, but kept ready for acton.

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White might be 0-8, but he “comes to fight” and McLaughlin is expecting something of a “battle” by the old shipyard in a middleweight bout slated for four rounds.

McLaughlin will go to Belfast for his weigh-in on Thursday. On Friday morning he’ll switch his phone off and get in the zone.

“I love this,” he says. “The lifestyle is what I love, the training and the hard work.”