Fighting Irish
MacDonald to fight, train in Ireland this week
Matt MacDonald is taking his in-ring talents overseas.
The 16-year-old boxer from Sydney Mines will both fight and train at the Raging Bull Boxing Club in Carlow, Ireland, located about 90 km southwest of Dublin.
“It’s a big experience gainer,” MacDonald said on Monday, the night before his departure. “The fight is good, too, but that’s only nine minutes. After that, I get to learn perspectives from other coaches and I get to learn new things. It’s a huge experience for me.”
MacDonald is making the trip with a team of four other fighters from Citadel Boxing Club in Halifax and head coach Wayne Gordon. Along with training at the Raging Bull club, he’ll fight on a house card on Saturday.
MacDonald and the other Nova Scotia fighters on the trip are part of the 2019 Canada Winter Games core team, and he’s hoping to earn a spot at the multi-sport event that will be held in Red Deer, Alta.
“Boxing is boxing, but you don’t know who you’re going to face over there, so you have to be ready for anything,” said MacDonald. He last fought in New Glasgow in late October, defeating Matt Ross of New Glasgow by split decision.
“I think I’ve been improving a lot lately,” he added. “I feel like I’m putting things together now.”
Tri-Town coach Mike Gerrow said MacDonald will have the opportunity to learn new techniques, movements and training ideas. He says the European style uses more angles to throw punches and is more technical, while there’s more slugging and power punching on this side of the pond.
“I see it as a great benefit for him to go over there and train in a different environment,” said Gerrow. “But not only a different environment, but a different style of boxing. A more European style of boxing, which is really different from a North American-style boxing.”
The Nova Scotia fighters are scheduled to return on Monday.