Ruth Farrell [3(2)-1(0)] he is happy to celebrate the moral victory despite suffering the first loss of his career last month.
‘Ruddy’ was outpointed by his friend and fellow MHD stablemate Colm Murphy [4(1)-0] in a vacant BUI Celtic featherweight title bout on the Return of the Mick card on August 6.
While the result meant the Belfast fighter did not leave the SSE Arena with the title, his performance ensured he left with an enhanced reputation.
‘Posh Boy’ Murphy was a heavy favorite going into the fight and many predicted the prospect would secure a victory inside the distance.
Murphy won, but only after eight competitive rounds, something the 22-year-old takes great pride in.
“A lot of people doubted me,” he told Irish-boxing.com. “They said he was going to stop me, but he didn’t get a chance. I proved them all wrong. I was never fazed during the fight and he didn’t hurt me once in the fight.
“I started off slow but I definitely came in stronger and was in better shape in the second half of the fight fought. In general, I did well, very well.”
A competitive performance wasn’t the only challenging element of the fight. The fact that Farrell was in a title fight on a massive Michael Conlan bill is a testament to his resilience and spirit. At one point it seemed like Farrell’s boxing career was never going to start, as it took almost four years from when he revealed that he was turning around to finally climb the ropes.
He also had to deal with four failed debut attempts, so to be in a title fight on such a card just five months after first seeking money is a huge accomplishment in itself.
“I am very proud of myself for having kept myself for three years fighting to get fights. Now I have four fights in seven months and I have fought for a title,” he adds before suggesting that he wants to get back on that big stage.
“It was incredible [to fight on a big card]a bit of buzz, hopefully, is the first of many.”
Farrell will now tip the scales and pick up some wins at super bantamweight before seeking titles in that weight class.
“I’ll have a comeback fight in November,” he replies when asked, “what’s the next question?” “So I’m going to chase titles next year. The super bantamweight division is mine.”
