McKinson: No fighter in the UK beats me

Michael McKinson finally gets to test his skills against a British rival when he faces Martin Harkin next weekend – and he’s determined to show just why he thinks he’s the best welterweight in the country.

Undefeated McKinson (18-0, 2 KOs) faces fellow unbeaten fighter Harkin (13-0, 5 KOs) on a huge #MTKFightNight at Production Park Studios in Wakefield on Sunday 18 October, live in the US on ESPN+ in association with Top Rank and worldwide on IFL TV.

With his last two wins coming over foreign opposition, McKinson is excited to again test himself against a Brit, and is ready to make a statement.

McKinson said: “Martin Harkin is a dangerous puncher. It’s a dangerous fight for me, but I’ve proven before that I can swim with sharks. I’m excited for the challenge and I’m very excited to finally have a fight.

“It’s been a terrible year for most boxers, so I’m thankful to MTK Global that they’ve been able to secure this fight. I was very active in 2019 and I had three great wins. I learnt a lot from all three fights and now it’s all about kicking on.

“I know that I’m a great fighter and I’ve been knocking on the door of greatness for a while. These fighters and the big fights can’t run from me forever and I’m on the verge of really big things..

“It’s a shame it’s behind closed doors as I have great support from Portsmouth that travel with me and are ever growing. We’ve just got do what we have to do though, and as long as I’m prepared, then even with fans or no fans, nobody beats me.”

Also on the bill on Sunday 18 October is a superb fight as Jay Harris defends his Commonwealth flyweight title against Marcel Braithwaite, while former world champion Paul Butler goes up against Ryan Walker.

Elsewhere, Jack Rafferty takes on Tom Hill, Jordan Reynolds makes his professional debut against Scott James, Lewie Edmondson faces Andy Bishop, and Paul McCullagh enters the paid ranks against Ryan Hibbert.