Leaving amateur boxing behind to pursue a professinal career was not a tough decision for Belfast’s John Paul Hale.
An Irish Elite champion in 2021, Hale also collected six Ulster titles and competed at the 2022 and 2026 Commonwealth Games, so for the 25-year-old, “I did as much as I could in the amateur game and now is the right time”.
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Of course, signing off with a medal from this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would have been ideal, but it wasn’t to be as Hale exited the ring frustrated after his opening round defeat by England’s Patris Mughalzai in a bout he was docked two points to his opponent’s one.
Boxing, whicever the code, remains a subjective sport when it comes to officiating and Hale was more than irked after that loss, his one-finger salute to the officals telling its own story – the same finger that his new manager Michael Conlan flipped in Rio in 2016 when dealing with his own disappointment.
“It’s a weird one as it’s the first time I wasn’t upset at myself,” Hale told BBC Sport NI when reflecting on that July day.
“I knew how hard I had worked before it and had beaten that lad [Mughalzai ] before. That time, the referee was letting me work instead of calling ‘break’ and if he was holding, there were warnings.
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“I went into that [Commonwealth Games bout] with a mindset that it would be a similar outcome but just felt the referee took it away from me.
“It was upsetting because deep down, I knew it was my last opportunity to accomplish what I set out to do [as an amateur].”
Same old issues persist in the amateur code
While Conlan’s reverse to Vladimir Nikitin at the 2016 Olympics would cause outrage and set the wheels in motion for the downfall of amateur boxing’s-then ruling body, AIBA [since rebranded to IBA].
World Boxing’s approval by the International Olympic Committee has resulted in an exodus to the new body who oversaw the Commonwealth Game but while administration has changed, Hale feels some of the old problems remain.
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“I don’t feel it has changed even though there has been the transition to World Boxing,” he opined.
“It seemed they [judges] were looking for more aggressive fighters and that suited me, but it didn’t feel that way and it just feels like nothing has changed.
“When you get to the elite-level fighters, you have different styles they need to sort out how they want people to fight to win. Some can win on the back foot and are not getting the decisions, then others go forward and aren’t getting it.
“Look at Jude Gallagher at the Commonwealth Games. Loads of others were sickened by it too, a few Scottish fighters were on the end of bad ones [decisions].”
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Conlan’s backing a major boost
Conlan twice challenged for professional world honours after a stellar amateur career [Getty Images]
There was no temptation to stay amateur and have a crack at reaching the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles despite toying with the idea of making the switch to the paid ranks two years ago, but “didn’t want to have any regrets [from the amateur career]” with an opportunity to sign off in Glasgow which remains a “great experience”.
Now in his mid-20s, the time is right to turn the page with former amateur world champion and two-time professional title challenger Michael Conlan guiding his fortunes.
“It’s class to have him on board because he knows a lot about pro boxing and it’s great to have someone like him with that knowledge behind me.”
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Hale, who will initially campaign at welterweight, will also stay true to his roots and remain based out of Star ABC in the New Lodge area of north Belfast.
On 27 November, he will cross the city to The Devenish to make his professional bow, a venue which also hosted the debut of current world super-featherweight champion Anthony Cacace and where former world title challenger James Tennyson built his career.
“If I perform, the bigger venues and nights will come,” Hale said.
“I would rather start from the bottom as I like to be a bit of an underdog and build myself up. You can jump into too much too early and be overwhelmed by it.
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“There are big pros who have fought on smaller shows, so that’s all part of the game.
“As it’s the debut, a lot of people who watched me as an amateur will want to come and see me as a pro, so it will be a good night.”
More boxing from the BBC
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
