Coatbridge boxer Mark McKeown says his career will turn full circle when he makes his ring return at St Andrew’s Sporting Club on Thursday.
The 28-year-old has been added to the bill for their 50th anniversary season opener at Radisson Blu hotel in Glasgow, eight years after fighting on their first amateur show.
McKeown doesn’t yet know his opponent for the six-rounder, his first fight since beating Joshua John to win the Celtic featherweight title in Swansea in May.
But he’s just eager to get back in the ring and wind things up for either a title defence or a shot at another.
He said: “This is my first fight since winning the Celtic title. It’s just a six-round fight to get me back into the swing of things.
“It’s great, because in 2014 I boxed on St Andrew’s Sporting Club’s first ever amateur boxing event there, and I had been back a couple of times just to watch the boxing.
“I’m really looking forward to going back there to fight as a pro, now.
“It’s going back to where it started for me, and that’s absolutely cracking.”
McKeown hopes the Glasgow bout will be the first of a number of opportunities over the coming year.
He added: “It’s gong to be great to be involved again and in front of a crowd, so it’s going to be excellent.
“We’re hoping to get out another twice this year after this, and my manager says he’ll either get me a defence of the Celtic title or a shot at another one.
“Things are moving in the right direction, anyway.
“He’s going to scope about and see what opportunities can arise.
“That’s good because usually we don’t even look past each fight as it comes. Usually every one is the biggest of your career, because you need to get through it to keep progressing.”
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