Paddy Barnes has stepped foot in many boxing rings in his time but Saturday night will be different.
Saturday night will be special.
Saturday night will see Barnes make his first foray into the world of pro boxing and he will do so in his home town of Belfast.
Barnes’ debut opponent has, up to now, remained a secret but a report from Irish-Boxing.com suggests that mystique is no more.
The report announces Stefan Slavchev (8-24-1) as the man who will stand opposite Barnes this weekend at the Titanic Exhibition Centre.
The Bulgarian will welcome the two-time Olympic bronze medallist to the professional ranks over six rounds under the BoxNation banner.
Barnes, like Katie Taylor and Michael Conlan, decided to abandon the amateur scene after the controversy that made headlines during Rio 2016 and all three now have professional bouts lined up in the near future.
"Cheats" – Furious Michael Conlan slams AIBA after disgraceful decision https://t.co/udXHXaOZLi
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 16, 2016
Barnes will be heavily favoured over the 23-year-old who has three times as many defeats as wins to his name.
That fight may not be as competitive as many would have hoped but Saturday’s card is a stellar one with Jamie Conlan, Con Sheehan, Marco McCullough, Declan Geraghty and Sean Turner just a handful of other top fighters on the bill.
And we won’t have to wait all that long to see Barnes back in action for a second time on the professional circuit as he’s set to feature on the St. Patrick’s Day card in New York City.
Exciting times.
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