Rome right on the money for boxer Matty McHale

Matty McHale is in confident mood ahead of a return to the ring in May

The 28-year-old came up short in last month's British title quest to English opponent Brandon Daord, an action-packed contest he still believes he won.

McHale admits he was devastated at the decision of the three English judges scoring the bout at the Caledonia Gladiators Arena in East Kilbride. And although the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist is in a far better place than he was stepping out of the ring five weeks ago, he says a first defeat of his professional career hit him hard. However, a quick getaway to Rome with girlfriend Roslyn - where boxing was completely off the menu - ticked all the boxes.

"If I get beat, I get beat," McHale explained. "But the way I lost, it was different. I'd be first to hold my hands up if I didn't box great. But because I thought I'd won, it hurt even more. I left everything in the ring. All credit to Brandon as he boxed very well. It felt like my whole world had come crashing down.

"It's made me more hungry to get the next belt I can. I was absolutely gutted and it's taken a while to get over. I thought I'd done enough and had won the fight by three rounds. The judges never saw it that way but I'm not here to sit and cry about it.

"Rome was so good and just what I needed. I could eat what I wanted, have a wee glass of wine, take in the scenery - I just switched off from boxing and that's something I haven't done in about two years.

"I talk about boxing so much to Roslyn she's completely fed up with it. But she's very supportive and makes things 100 times easier for me. I'm so lucky to have such a supportive girlfriend. She never moans about me training and she actually forces me to go when I can't be bothered. It's hard for her when I'm dieting because she gets it in the neck! But now it's back to the life of a boxer and Roslyn understands that."

McHale doesn't have long to wait until he's back under the bright lights. He will top the bill once more at the Gladiators Arena on Friday, May 2. What he doesn't know is who will be in the opposite corner. What he is clear on is the outcome will be different this time round.

"I've got that fire right back in my belly again," he explained. When you get a call to top the bill in a few months' time, that gives you all the motivation you need. There's a lot to improve on but there were a lot of good parts to the fight last month too.

"I will have that wee bit more needle going into this one on the back of what happened, but I approach every fight with no stone unturned. I've shown I can perform at a high level, at a fast pace, so I'm still up there. We're now seven weeks away so the fitness is there, I just need to get the sharpness back.

"I've only had eight professional fights. My coach Terry (McCormack) was just as down as me the day after my last fight and that shows you how invested he is. I have a small team around me and they put so much into it too."