Kellie Harrington will step up her boxing comeback on Tuesday when she headlines an exhibition night at Dublin's Mansion House.
In October, the two-time Olympic champion announced her intention to come out of retirement and compete at the Irish National Elite Championships in January.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old steps into the ring with Dutch fighter Chelsey Heijnen (who won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships) to blow off the cobwebs while also platforming other rising local talent.
"I just wanted to put on a little bit of a show," Harrington told RTÉ Radio 1's Inside Sport.
"I'm back training anyway, I haven't stopped, but I've just felt that I wanted to put on a show, I want to showcase the talent that we have in Dublin, let alone Ireland, on the Dublin scene and I've put together a Dublin select.
"I'm going to be boxing on it myself versus Chelsey, so yeah that's kind of our first step back."
Harrington admitted that the daily grind of preparing to fight again has been tough, but she has zero regrets about committing herself to a return.
"The decision is never hard to be very honest with you," she went on. "The decision is the easiest thing you can make but it's when you're back and you're in the depths of it again then you're like, 'was that the right decision that I've made?'.
"But it's always this way in sport, for me anyway. As it gets closer to a tournament I'm always like, 'oh I'm finished after this one'. I haven't quite got there yet because I am enjoying it and it's this is a night of exhibitions to showcase the talent that we have in Dublin and throughout Ireland.
"I really want to give kids from Dublin the experience of boxing in an iconic venue in the Round Room on a card with Olympians and world medalists. I just think it's going to be an iconic night for for those kids boxing, and for all of us.
"I'm going to enjoy this, I'm going to have fun. I actually am going to smile at people I think. I want to enjoy it you know? And they're exhibitions so there's not that much pressure on, but when you're in front of a crowd things do change so we just take it step by step and and see see how it goes."
Jude Gallagher, Jack Marley, Gavin Rafferty and Ava Henry are among those who will glove up tomorrow night.
Harrington intends to compete at 60kg in January's Elites but will be fighting Heijnen at 63kg as she works her way towards peak fitness.
"It's a way of coming down slowly because I couldn't make 60 now and then make it again in January so quickly after," she added.
"It's about doing things and doing them smartly instead of rushed. So we get to 63, we see how we feel at that and then we start working towards making 60 for the national championships in January.
"There's a fire in my belly for them, there's a nervous energy in my belly as well. That's when you know you still want it, when you're actually nervous that's when you know you're in a good place.
"I'm looking forward to them as well."
