MCGIVERN IS QUEENSBERRY-BOUND

THE CELTIC LIGHTWEIGHT champion James McGivern has signed promotional terms with Frank Warren and Queensberry.

The highly-decorated former amateur star – a 15-time Irish National Champion – is currently 9-0 in the professional ranks and he featured, in a defence of his title, on the recent Queensberry show at the SSE Arena in his home city of Belfast.

The 26-year-old executed a showreel second round knockout over the previously unbeaten Rashid Omar, with clips of the perfectly timed shot having been circulated widely across social media.

It was the second fight in a row that McGivern took on and defeated a 6-0 opponent, with his previous victory coming over Josh Sandford in November of last year when he took ownership of his Celtic title.

Now he takes his place in a well-stocked lightweight mix at Queensberry that also includes British and European champion Sam Noakes, WBC Silver champion Mark Chamberlain, Irish talent Steven Cairns and WBO world champion Denys Berinchyk.

“Signing with Frank Warren and Queensberry is a dream come true really,” said the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist. “When I was young as a boxer, Frank was one of the biggest and still is the biggest promoter that was ever around. He has had some of the greatest fighters with him, both in the UK and the world.

“To be in a stable like this is only going to stand me in a good stead and it is exactly what I need now in my career going forward. I need good promotion now because I have served my time and done my apprenticeship as a professional boxer.

“Now I can kick on and start making some real headway.

“I don’t think my last fight could have gone any better. It was like having a trial for a football team, almost. It felt like I scored a hat-trick with one of them being an overhead kick!

“It was the perfect time to pull a performance like that out of the bag. Everyone in boxing circles in Ireland knows what I can do and that is the sort of standard I fight.”

Promoter Frank Warren said of his new arrival: “Our Irish contingent is getting stronger and stronger and James is clearly a young man with a big future. His credentials are exceptional and I was so impressed with what I saw from him on our recent promotion in Belfast. His stoppage was nothing short of spectacular.

“We are very strong on the lightweight front and I anticipate James being part of big title fights in the very near future. I am looking forward to working with him his team to push his career forward.”