For Graham McCormack, his brutal encounter with Darren Johnson for the Celtic super-middleweight title was supposed to be another massive night. Instead, it became the toughest ordeal of his 24-year involvement in boxing.
A bad cut, a broken jaw, a stoppage defeat, and retirement staring him straight in the face.
But the ‘G’Train’ is an expert at rolling through some hard times and says it’s full steam ahead despite turning 38.
“It was going grand until I got the big massive cut in my head in round two,” he recalls. “You see it in the movies — ‘I can’t see!’ — but I actually couldn’t see a thing. The blood was pouring into my eyes.”
What followed was four rounds of chaos.
“I was fighting blind really, man. I was just swinging and hoping for the best. Anytime I rubbed the blood it made it 50 times worse. I didn’t know what was going on.”
As if battling through a severe cut wasn’t enough, a fractured jaw followed in round four. By round five, the damage was undeniable.
“It was a rough, rough night at the office. I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life.”
For a 38-year-old fighter, sitting in a hospital bed awaiting surgery, those moments bring clarity — and hard questions.
“Obviously when you’re sitting in a hospital bed waiting to get a big surgery on your jaw, you’re contemplating everything. I’m not a millionaire from boxing. People think you make loads of money — you don’t. I’m 38. I’m not going to be world champion. So you start asking yourself, what are your realistic goals?”
Retirement wasn’t just a passing thought.
“Oh big time. I contemplated it for a while. I played with the thought in my head.”
But boxing isn’t just a profession for McCormack. It’s redemption.
“Boxing helped me shape my life again. It got my life back on track. I feel like I always owe something to boxing.”
The internal debate continued — until a conversation with the most important voice in his life, his late mother.
“My mother was my best mate,” he says softly. “We talked about everything. I told her I was thinking about going back boxing.
“She said go back and try get the other title. Give it one more go. Once she passed away after having that chat, I was always going to come back. There was no way I wasn’t.”
Win his come back fight at the Parochial Hall in Cork on Saturday and the former BUI Celtic champion could fight Richie O’Leary for another title on April 4.
“That’s the goal now — win Saturday, win the Celtic title, and then win another title. I’ve the motivation I’ve ever needed now.”
“People say, ‘Oh you’re 38.’ But I’m fresh. I feel good. Mentally I’m good. Couple more fights left in me.”