On Saturday night in New York, Dublin featherweight Patrick Hyland faces the second toughest challenge of his career, when he takes on former Olympian Gary Russell Jr of the USA for the WBC World featherweight title.
Russell Jr is the best fighter Hyland will have ever faced, even allowing for his only previous title clash with Javier Fortuna back in 2011. That December night in Vegas, he dropped a unanimous decision to the heavily-favoured Javier Fortuna for the interim WBA featherweight title, winning the respect of many in attendance as well as HBO's commentary team for a gallant display against his more rapid opponent. It remains the only defeat on Hyland's record, but proved he could hang tough at the highest level.
But despite the uphill task he faces in Connecticut on Saturday night, the battle to simply fight on following personal tragedy last year must surely have been the biggest test of Hyland's boxing journey.
I thought someone was playing a joke or something,
he told Michael Woods of RING Magazine and NYFights.com, when describing the phonecall which informed him that his father and long-term trainer, Paddy, had died.
There was nothing. No hints. He was 54.
Depression, man.
Nobody knew. It was a shock to everyone’s system. Depression gets to them.
Hyland's opponent this weekend paid his condolences during an emotionally-charged final presser. Russell Jr is also trained by his father and namesake, and was quick to put on record his respect for the Tallaght man in bouncing back from such a personal grievance in a sport which demands as much psychological input as it does physical.
My father is my favourite superhero,
Russell told his Irish adversary, after a sincere handshake from the podium.
It's definitely very, very hard to deal with a situation like that. And to bounce back, and to grind, and put all the hard work and effort into it after the fact of the heartache and the loss... I've got to take my hat off to you for that.
We recently spoke with Jamie Kavanagh, who revealed that he's looking to use the tragic loss of close family members to motivate himself as he furthers his pugilistic career.
His mate from up the Kilnamanagh Road will be looking to do the same, and to make history, as just the second Irishman ever to hold a WBC belt.
In a superb mini-documentary with The Echo newspaper, Hyland tells his own story. And it's sure to get the blood pumping ahead of his massive title scrap on the East Coast of America.
Russell Jr vs Hyland will be broadcast on Sky Sports One from 3am. Don't miss it.
