Coatbridge boxer Mark McKeown became a dad again two days before taking his first title, and says his emphatic win on Saturday night will open some big doors for him.
The 28-year-old became a father-of-two with girlfriend McNairn giving birth to baby Mila two days before he left for Wales, and she joins son Luca, who turns five next month.
Electrician McKeown then beat Welshman Joshua John in Swansea by unanimous decision after 10 rounds to lift the vacant BBBofC Celtic featherweight title, giving him seven straight professional wins.
‘Sparky’ is letting everything sink in, and says Mila’s birth was a huge weight off his mind.
“In the build-up, my missus [was nine months’ pregnant and ended up being overdue by five days,” he said.
“So the baby was just born two days before we left.
“It all meant the world to me, to become a father again and win a title a few days later.
“It was absolutely amazing.”
‘Sparky’ is understandably delighted with both major events, and says he’s waiting to hear what is next for him.
He said: “This is massive for me, absolutely massive, and it could open good doors for me.
“They’re talking about having a wee show in July, but I’m still waiting on confirmation about what’s going to happen with that.
“The options could be I could either defend this title in July, or I could get another opportunity – we just need to wait and see what happens.
“It all depends on what my manager says.
“But that’s seven wins in a row, we’re definitely happy with that.”
McKeown was given exposure, with the fight at LC2 in Swansea screened live on BBC Wales, as he ended John’s unbeaten record, and had a small but vocal band of fans behind him.
He said: “It was brilliant. I thought it was a bit more convincing than the scorecards suggested, but the win is a win, isn’t it?
“It was an unanimous decision, and you could arguably say he’s stolen a couple of rounds, but apart from that I felt I was in complete control.
“There was a good wee crowd down there.
“Even though there were only about 30-odd people from Coatbridge going down, they made plenty of noise, as expected.”
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