MARTIN HARKIN’S day job sees him dealing with forgotten cases. His task this weekend is to avoid becoming one himself.
The 29-year-old works in the disposals department of the Procurator Fiscal in Dumbarton, retrieving documents relating to closed cases that have already been dealt with by the courts.
His boxing career is still very much in the active category but the 29 year-old acknowledges that, having lost his unbeaten record last time out, a second consecutive defeat would see him slip down the rankings and in danger of becoming a forgotten figure in the sport.
To that end, a victory against the dangerous Kaisee Benjamin in the Coventry Skydome on a card being broadcast live on Channel 5 is a must.
The St Andrew’s Sporting Club fighter has always been willing to take risks to advance his career and a win on Saturday will take him to the cusp of a shot at the British title.
The welterweight also knows, however, that another defeat following the points loss to Michael McKinson in October will leave him up against it.
“It’s a must-win for me,” admits the Greenock boxer. “I can’t take another defeat as it will push me further down the rankings. I need to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“My last fight was a really disappointing performance from me so I’ve prepared to put in a better showing.
“Losing my undefeated record in itself didn’t really bother me that much. It’s more just losing any fight that’s a hard pill to swallow.
“But I’ve got this opportunity now and it’s a great chance for me to bounce back.
“I want to show an even bigger audience what I’m capable of. It’s a big platform for me with the fight being shown live on Channel 5.
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“These shows tend to get more viewers than a lot of the Sky Sports shows as people don’t need to subscribe.
“Anyone can tune in so I’m hoping that maybe people who haven’t seen me before will get the chance to watch and I can put on a show and impress a few of them.”
The fight has now been confirmed as an official eliminator for the right to fight for the British title but at the time of the interview that was still to be resolved.
“There was a bit of a hold-up announcing the fight,” adds Harkin.
“I’ve had 12 weeks’ notice for it but they were stalling announcing it as they were wanting to get it confirmed as a British title eliminator.
“The last I heard it was for an Intercontinental belt, an international title. Either way it will get me a good ranking if I can win.
“If everything goes well with this fight it will shoot me back into position for bigger titles. All that matters is that I have a good performance and look impressive.
“I’ve not got time to waste. I want to keep pushing and see how far I can go as it’s a young man’s sport.
“Padding my record for the sake of it has never been my style. Even as an amateur I always boxed the top guys and didn’t shy away from it.
“As a pro you need to do eight to 10 fights just to learn the style and then take 50:50 fights. You’re not going to be remembered for fighting journeymen.”
Harkin makes no excuses for the defeat to McKinson but believes the easing of lockdown has allowed him to prepare more thoroughly for this contest.
“I went away and licked my wounds after that last one. And then it was back to the gym to work on the things that went wrong.
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“One thing I’ve done differently is have much better sparring. In October it was really difficult to get good sparring as gyms were shut - without making excuses.
“This time I’ve been down south for five or six weekends in London, Liverpool and Newcastle fighting with top guys like Ohara Davies, Lewis Ritson, and Nathan Cartwright.
“I’ve done well against a lot of these top-class operators and that’s prepared me well.
“The hardest part is just waiting for the fight. I’ve put a lot of effort into this so it’s time to get the show on the road.
“I’m chief support behind the main event so that’s decent exposure for me. It’s a good show and a lot of eyes will be on it. And now I have to perform.”
There was some better news for Scottish boxing recently with St Andrew’s announcing they plan to resume shows from September.
And Harkin is keen to fight in front of home fans again soon.
“It’s good news that St Andrews are looking to get the shows going on as it’s always good to box in front of your home supporters. Hopefully we’re over the worst of it and shows are starting to happen in Scotland again.”
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