Macaulay McGowan: “I look back at that nine-year-old version of me and think he’d be happy with who I’ve become and what I’ve achieved.”

Macaulay McGowan: “I look back at that nine-year-old version of me and think he’d be happy with who I’ve become and what I’ve achieved.”

By Matt Elliott

This Friday, Macaulay McGowan fights for the EBU European super welterweight title as he faces reigning champion Abass Baraou in Bolton. It is the biggest opportunity of his ten-year professional career and another prime example of the importance of remaining active.

Recently, we have seen high-profile examples of how fighting regularly can benefit a boxer’s career, with Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker being two individuals that immediately spring to mind. The same applies to McGowan, who, since returning to the ring in January 2022, has kept active and since August of the same year, has never had more than five months out of the ring.

I caught up with McGowan this past week, as training camp for the Baraou fight concluded, and he explained how staying in the gym, maintaining his fitness and being willing to fight regularly has led to him getting this huge opportunity.

“For about two years now I’ve stayed consistent with my boxing. Whether that was a big fight or a small hall show, I’ve remained active and gained confidence as a result. I’ve competed in four and six rounders and people would ask, why is he taking those fights, but I’m in the gym anyway so I might as well be fighting under the lights, and then opportunities like this come about and people see you’re active and ready to go. His team were looking for a voluntary defence in the North West of England, and lo and behold, there I was. It’s like all of the stars aligned. And now all my supporters understand why I had a random fight in Oldham Leisure Centre a couple of months back, it makes sense, and they understand the process. This is boxing, it’s what you have to do, and I love the sport so why not fight?”

After a sustained period of taking big fights at short notice, McGowan has had the luxury of six weeks’ preparation for this one. Whilst longer than he’s been used to, he admits the call informing him of the opportunity still came as a complete surprise.

“After my fight in March, I stayed in the gym and I’m as fit as anything, then I got a call about six weeks ago to say this was a possibility, so I’ve had plenty of notice and I couldn’t have asked for better preparation. Recently I’ve taken fights on five days’ notice, and two weeks, even the Sergio Martinez fight back in 2022, was only four weeks’ notice, so six is a long time for me. As I said, though, I was in the gym, and I’d hit a good flow with my diet, even though I didn’t have a date coming up, so I was pretty happy. Then, one night, I was just sitting there, and Joe got in touch about this fight, and I thought this was crazy. When I finally became ok with my situation, something like this comes up. I’m just dead grateful.”

In Abass Baraou, McGowan faces an opponent with a record of 15-1, who comes into the fight on the back of six straight victories, the last being the majority decision win over Sam Eggington in which he claimed the vacant European title. A highly decorated amateur who claimed a gold medal at the 2017 European championships, defeating Pat McCormack in the final, Baraou will undoubtedly prove to be a tough challenge. With that in mind, what sort of fight is McGowan expecting?

“He likes to be tactical and to dictate the pace, but listen I’m coming for a war, and that’s how I believe I win this fight. Against Sam he managed the fight well, he knew when to turn it on and off, he’s a clever fighter, but I’m in great shape and I’m not going to tire, so I don’t care what he’s planning, I’m coming to assert my authority and implement my gameplan. I won’t be denied.”

It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years for McGowan. He’s had nine fights in just over twenty-four months, and during that time he’s fought as high as 177lbs and as low as 152 lbs. In March 2023 he was denied what appeared a clear victory over Farrhad Saad out in Paris, the judges scoring it a majority draw, before an extremely close fight with Tyler Denny last May in which McGowan was on the wrong side of a split decision. In all of those fights, his opponents had an advantage, but he now admits it’s more of a level playing field.

“I was up at super middleweight against Saad, touching twelve stone, and before that, I was pretty much a cruiserweight when I took on Darryl Sharp, so this has been a gradual process, staying consistent and slowly bringing the weight down and just being in a better place and changing a lot of habits when I’m out of camp. I’ve grown up really, and it’s paying dividends now. I always thought that I’d only ever get opportunities at middleweight, so to get a shot at super welter is perfect for me. I’m not giving away size or strength and all the other things that I am at the higher weights.”  

It is clear from speaking to McGowan that he is in a good place. A lot of that fulfilment comes from his hard work and dedication, but a special mention has to be saved for the relationship that has developed between him and Joe Gallagher. The two began working together ahead of the Martinez fight in 2022, and McGowan admits that from the outset, the relationship just felt right.

“Joe and I have a great connection; I took to him and him to me. We are both from Wythenshawe in Manchester, and Joe boxed with my dad, so we just gelled, and we are on the same level when it comes to boxing. You could say he’s brainwashed me a bit but in a really positive way. Over time he’s convinced me I’m not just a joker or an idiot, that I can actually fight and if I take myself seriously then good things will come, so I’ve just applied myself the way he wanted, and he’s done the best he can for me. To get me this shot, he’s done well, not just as a trainer but as a manager and I’m forever grateful for that and I hope to pay him back, but in a way, I know I already do because I come to the gym every day and give it one hundred per cent, and that’s all you can ask for really.”

Outside of the ring, McGowan continues to work as a labourer for his friend’s company Broadhead Developments, meaning he has to juggle training with work but he is thankful to them and his other main sponsor, Henshaws Roofing & Building Supplies, whose support means that when he has fights coming up he can take some time away to concentrate fully on camp and he admits that he enjoys the balance, being able to box and work a job he enjoys and for an employer who are supportive of his career. At twenty-nine, he has plenty of fights ahead, but recently, he has started to help out with corner work and was present in Poland when stablemate Lawrence Okolie won the WBC bridgerweight title last month. Is that a path that he sees himself following when the time comes to eventually hang up the gloves?

“Definitely. I’ve always loved the coaching side since I was an amateur, and I sometimes enjoy it more than boxing, as I can turn up eating what I want and take people on the pads. I’m a huge fan of boxing as well as competing in it and showing someone what to do and them listening and then applying that gives you a real sense of achievement. With Joe, as much as he wants you to be a good boxer, he wants you to be a good person as well, so he’s always looking at ways I can improve, and he said I should consider getting my coaching badges and that it would be a good experience for me. Having a coaching licence is a good step for me because I’m always watching fights and fighters, so yes, I see myself progressing down that path in the future.”

We concluded our chat by circling back to where we started, discussing the fight with Baraou. Set to be broadcast on Channel Five in the UK, McGowan admits he’s already having to stay up later than usual to prepare himself for being involved in the main event which is expected to get underway shortly after 10 pm. I put it to him that if he leaves the ring on Friday with the belt over his shoulder, I can’t see him sitting around enjoying his success for long and expected him to be straight back in the gym looking ahead to the next challenge.

“If I win, the phone won’t stop ringing because they’ll see it as an easy fight to take the title off me. I’m sure Wasserman will want to stick a rematch or an early defence on, so I won’t be having any time off. I’ll probably sneak a couple of McDonald’s in, but that’ll be about it, then straight back to it. Seriously though, I’ve been around boxing for a long time, and fighting for the European title makes the ups and downs in my career all worth it. I’ve followed my childhood dream of being a young boy watching fights on TV and dreaming that one day I would be fighting for the British, European, or World title, and now I am. I look back at that nine-year-old version of me and think he’d be happy with who I’ve become and what I’ve achieved.”