Harrison vs McGivern Falls Park MTK

‘The Natural’ was set for a sensational out of the blue bout with Sean Duffy on the Feile Fight Night.

However, a rematch of the 2017 Ulster lightweight final – won by McGivern who therefore qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games where he won bronze, was canceled after Duffy pulled out.

Rumour suggests it was an eight-round clash and there was a possibility the Irish title could have been on the line. The Belfast fighter believes it would have been a great fight but isn’t overly upset it’s off.

The 23-year-old southpaw is just happy to be still on such a massive card and fighting in front of fans for the first time.

“It was disappointing,” McGivern says of the cancelation.

“It would have been a great fight for the fans and would have built plenty of hype but it’s no big thing. I’m just glad I’m still on the card and get to perform on such a big stage,” he adds before predicting he would have beat the Keedy battler.

“Sean’s a keen fighter strong a fit, so it would have been great to watch. I still think I win that fight with my boxing ability.”

McGivern now fights Blackpool’s Ed Harrison [2(0)-7(1)] on the card topped by Michael Conlan and TJ Doheny’s massive all Irish fight.

Speaking on his opponent he said: “Ed’s been in with some good operators, so he can’t be taken lightly. I’ll need to be in top form from the first bell.”

The fight is McGivern’s first at home in Belfast and his first in crowds. It’s a baptism of fire in that regard and he is planning on making the most of the opportunity to show the local fight fans what he is capable of.

“I’m buzzing, buzzing to finally get to perform in front of a Belfast crowd and feed off them. I also want to show them how good I really am.”

At one stage it appeared as if McGivern was Tokyo 2020 bound. He was deemed the #1 welterweight in Ireland but after a period out decided to turn over.

Ed said "It was a good experience fighting one of Irelands best amateur boxers. Going down to Holy Trinity boxing club and doing a session down there gave me an idea of what to expect vs James. They can really box in Ireland. Very clever fighters who are very hard to hit. James was exceptionally hard to hit.

The atmosphere was unbelievable. Tyrone McKenna just had a war and the crowd was going mental. Really good experience and trip over to Ireland. Massive thanks to MTK as well for sorting everything out and taking care of us.

Also a massive Thanks to Cam Singer who helped prepare me for this fight. I thought James was going to be a much guy so I got Cam in who is the best southpaw in Blackpool to spar with. We did loads of rounds for this fight and I couldn't have had any better preparation.

Also a massive thanks to Matt Fitzsimons who let us use his gym the morning of the weigh in. I managed to take a lot of weight off in the morning doing some body sparring with Kieran's amateurs and training the night before at Holy Trinity".