Patrick Hyland admits that Saturday night’s showdown with Josh Warrington is a make-or-break bout and that a loss may lead to his retirement.
Dubliner Hyland travels to Leeds to take Warrington in the WBC International featherweight title holder’s backyard at the First Direct Arena.
The headline bout on a live Sky Sports broadcast will see Hyland return to action for the first time since his bruising second-round stoppage loss to American Gary Russell Jr in their world-title bout last April.
Hyland won't be eligible to claim Warrington's belt should he win tonight (Sat) after the Dubliner failed to make the 126lbs weight limit. The Tallaght man weighed in 2lb 6oz over the featherweight limit but the bout will go ahead as a non-title fight.
The weekend bout represents a real crossroads for Hyland, however, as the Tallaght native admits that a second defeat on the bounce would leave him to weigh up his future after a 16-year pro career.
“One hundred per cent I’m looking to avoid back-to-back defeats and a win here could get me another chance at a world title,” said Hyland.
“With a loss, I’ll have to sit back and talk to my wife and see what she thinks about me continuing on so that’s all in my head at the minute. I don’t want to lose, I don’t want to have that chat with her, so the whole motivation is winning and getting another crack at a world title,” added the 32-year-old, who became a father last year.
While his defeat to the classy southpaw Russell was a one-sided affair, Hyland has opted against having an easy comeback fight and he believes a date with the undefeated Warrington (23-0) does not represent a big step down as he looks to rebuild.
“He’s not as good as Russell, technically or anything like that, but I wouldn’t see it as a step down,” said Hyland. “I’d see it as a stepping [stone] fight against a top-ranked guy, so beating him gets me straight back in there.
“Warrington has fought everyone who’s been put in front of him so I’m here to test him, but I’m coming to hurt him and take his belt away and to silence that Leeds crowd as well.”
Former European champion Warrington – a 2/9 bookies favourite this weekend - has become a star attraction in his hometown and recorded a win over another Irishman, Belfast’s Martin Lindsay, at the same venue two years ago.
But while the 25-year-old and his promoters, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, had previously expressed an interest in taking on Hyland, the Dubliner believes that the manner of his loss to Russell is behind Warrington’s motivation to take the fight.
"It’s been going great, I’ve just been picking up from my last training camp and this time I don’t have to work for a southpaw so it’s a little bit easier."
A gutsy Hyland was thoroughly outclassed by Russell in their April bout as the American connected with an impressive 45% of his punches in less than five minutes of action.
While the Jobstown man bravely rose to his feet twice after being put on the canvas, he never got a chance against the lightening-fast Russell and Hyland reckons the defeat convinced Warrington to agree to a bout.
“They came in looking for the fight during our negotiations for the Russell fight, but I think the loss and the way I got beat made them jump at the opportunity and made them think, ‘let’s grab him, he's on the way down, let’s try what Russell did and that could put Warrington on the world stage',” said Hyland, who will once again have Paschal Collins in his corner.
Collins, brother of world champion Steve and head coach at Corduff’s burgeoning Celtic Warriors Gym, has been training Hyland since the death of his father and former coach Paddy last year.
“It’s been going great, I’ve just been picking up from my last training camp and this time I don’t have to work for a southpaw so it’s a little bit easier,” said Hyland on his preparations.
