McCullough insists he's not on the wane

PROFESSIONAL BOXING/INTERVIEW: Johnny Watterson on the return of the Irishman who is fighting on both sides of the ropes

Some might feel queasy over the prospect of Wayne McCullough stepping back into the ring on the undercard of the Acelino Freitas v Joel Casamayor fight tomorrow night in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old former world champion meets Alvin Brown just 14 months after the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) withdrew his license and told him that one punch could kill him.

Since then, the 1992 Olympic silver medallist has learned that the cyst located on his brain following a routine scan before a scheduled fight in Belfast in October 19th 2000 had probably been with him as far back as 1993.

Scans taken then appear to show the growth, indicating that McCullough had fought most of his professional career with what the BBBC construed was a potentially fatal condition.

Over the last two years McCullough has sought expert opinion in Britain, Ireland and America, all of which indicates that he suffers no greater a risk than any other boxer.

Despite the expert advice, the UK governing body have continued to deny the Belfast fighter a license to box in Britain, which is the principle reason tomorrow night's bout against Brown is in Las Vegas and not Belfast. Professional boxing in Belfast is governed by the BBBC, although amateur boxing is a 32-county association.

For many it will be seen as an unnecessary resurrection of a professional career that might best be left to rest, as McCullough represents one of the most successful Irish fighters of all time. But the former WBC Bantamweight champion looks at his 23-3 record and sees a relatively light career load. His three defeats were in world title fights, when he was outpoined by Daniel Zaragoza (1997), Naseem Hamed (1998) and Eric Morales (1999).

"This will be my ninth year as a pro," he says. "I've had 26 fights and 12 of those were in my first year. I slowed way down after that. Now I'd like to make up for those last two years.

"I feel that the BBBC have taken my career away from me, they've stopped me fighting in my home town and they've stopped me working

"I'm the first person who would hang up the gloves if I thought there was anything wrong with me. I've a wife and a daughter. I went to Dublin and got cleared by experts. I went to UCLA in California and got cleared by the best doctors in the world and I got cleared by the BBBC's own advisory doctor in November 2000.

"Mat (Tinley, McCullough's manager) has filed a lawsuit. He's just pissed with them. What more do the British board want ?"

Brown, with a record of four defeats from 14 bouts, represents a fighter who should help clear McCullough's ring rust, but who should not be a serious threat to the former champion.

Realising that his greatest opponent may be inadvertent complacency, McCullough has also changed his preparation for the fight, employing the tactics Sugar Ray Leonard used when he came back to defeat Marvin Hagler for the middleweight crown in 1984.

"The last two weeks in sparring I've let my guys wear fight gloves. They were trying to kill me. When I hit them I dead-armed them. I dropped a few guys too. It's the closest thing you can get to the real experience.

"With eight-ounce gloves on, you start to feel the real thing. I had to do it. I've been out of the ring now for two years. You forget how sore it is when you get hit.

"Sugar Ray Leonard did it when he came back to beat Hagler. That's where I heard it, from one of my sparring partners."

McCullough, based in Las Vegas, has never been stopped. His chin has taken the best that three world champions could throw at him. That fearless durability has earned him a reputation for having one of the strongest chins in the game.

But the rugged bravery also feeds the fear that on occasion, the ability to take punishment is not always in a fighter's best interests.

McCullough also craves a fight in Belfast and assuming Brown is beaten, the BBBC could be his next opponent.

"Showtime TV is taking this on. They are taking a chance on me and they are willing to go to Dublin in the middle of next year. Sure, the body gets older but I've been training the same way as I did in 1992, always the same number of rounds, the same runs. Maybe I'm not as quick but I might have more power."

Brown has fought 12 times in the last two years. McCullough has not fought at all.

"Hopefully he'll expect me to take the fight lightly," says McCullough. "It feels just like my pro debut all over again."