If there’s any truth in the saying ‘like father, like son’, then boxing fans are in for a treat on Saturday night when James Metcalf takes on Dennis Hogan.
As the son of former WBU world light-welterweight champion Shea Neary, Metcalf has big boots to fill, but he is looking forward to shining on the biggest stage when he takes on Hogan for the IBO super-welterweight world title.
In a sport where families form rich legacies, with Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn already established elite pros in their own right, Metcalf is out to write his own name into the boxing history books.
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Several fighters have buckled under the pressure of trying to match their fathers’ achievements in the ring, but Metcalf, who is nicknamed 'Kid Shamrock', is relishing the chance to make his dreams come true.
"I had my first fight at 11, so I have had this dream for over 25 years," he tells the ECHO. "I grew up watching boxing as my dad always had it on.
"It has always been part of my life, and to have this chance to become a world champion is unbelievable. He has put a lot of work into me as well.
"I have to thank him a lot for it because of the years he has put in with me. He has taught me a lot, and just watching him when I was a kid, it is just good to repay him a bit."
But as Metcalf prepares to return to the ring on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s huge homecoming undisputed clash with Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin, he does so knowing things could have been very different.
After losses to Ted Cheeseman and Kieron Conway, Metcalf contemplated calling time on his boxing career. However, he decided against retirement and, in April of last year, beat Evgenii Vazem.
Then a career-best win against Kerman Lejarraga followed in Bilbao last May, before the 34-year-old set up a showdown with Hogan with a stoppage victory over Courtney Pennington in Leeds in December.
"The defeats took a lot out of me because I was devastated," he recalls. "At the same time, I knew I wasn't myself on those nights.
"A lot of things had gone wrong during the camps, and I was just far from myself. That gave me the drive to carry on. I always knew once I was 100%, I was going to perform better."
Trained by Joe McNally and Declan O'Rourke at the Rotunda ABC gym in Kirkdale, Metcalf, who counts Liam Smith, Josh Taylor, Thomas Whittaker Hart, Caoimhin Agyarko and Frankie Stringer as gym-mates, knows he is in for a tough fight against Hogan but believes there is nothing that is going to stop him from coming out on top on Saturday night.
"I couldn’t overlook him," he tells the ECHO. "He’s really experienced, and I believe he should have been a world champion a long time ago when I thought he beat Jaime Munguia. But I just think it is my night, and I am definitely going to win this fight."
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