Danny McIntosh says his career is “ready to go forward again” after linking up with newly-licensed trainer Jon Thaxton in Norwich.
The former European light-heavyweight ruler, crushed inside five
rounds by Tony Bellew in April, will train in his home city, having
previously trained under Dominic Ingle in Sheffield.
The Norfolk banger is heading to the Ukraine to spar with Nathan Cleverly's next opponent, Vyacheslav Uzelkov.
McIntosh, 13-3 (7), looking to get back into title contention,
believes he can get his career back on track under the tutelage of
former British lightweight champion Thaxton.
“I was at a crossroads with my career after my British title defeat
against Bellew, and to be honest after that loss I really did have to
think long and hard about my future,” he said.
“However, after long discussions with my management team of John
Ingle and Neil Featherby we all decided that I would be more settled
training in Norwich as opposed to commuting to Wincobank in Sheffield.”
Feeling refreshed, 'Big Mac' is enjoying working with Thaxton, “So
far it’s working a treat and I really have rebuilt my confidence - my
career is set to go forward again.”
The 32-year-old will spend the next two weeks in Ukraine sparring
Vyacheslav Uzelkov, as the Ukrainian prepares for a WBO title challenge
against Nathan Cleverly next month.
“This is a great experience for me, as I can measure myself against
him (Uzelkov) and to see how far away I am from being considered for
major titles again,” revealed McIntosh.
Uzelkov, 33, has 27 wins and two losses on his ledger, with one of
those defeats being against Germany’s Eduard Gutknecht, who took
McIntosh’s EBU strap off him last year in Germany.
Trainer Thaxton said: “They called up Danny’s services knowing he’s a
former English and European champion, and of course a former opponent
of Cleverly."
“It’s all coming together very nicely and Danny is one of those
fighters that perform better when he has his family around him, hence
why we’ve got him working out of Norwich again.”
With the domestic cruiserweight scene an open shop at present,
Thaxton says moving McIntosh up to 200lbs is an option they may explore.
“There are a number of permutations being put in place which will
hopefully get Danny back into title contention soon, including possibly
moving him up a weight.”
Former British cruiserweight champion Shane McPhilbin is set to take
on Jon Lewis Dickinson for the vacant Lonsdale belt at cruiser later
this month on the David Price-Audley Harrison undercard.
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