Michael McKinson and the four and a half hour journey to spar a newly crowned champion

Michael McKinson has got used to being uncomfortable ahead of this weekend’s fight with Tulani Mbenge.

Before he flew off across the Atlantic to train with Jason ‘Boots’ Ennis, BoxingScene caught up with the 30-year-old welterweight in an industrial estate car park in Manchester. 

McKinson, 26-1 (4 KOs), knows how important Saturday night’s IBO title fight is and he kick started preparations with a lung bursting week of sparring with recently crowned British and Commonwealth champion, Jack Rafferty.

“I jumped at the opportunity. This morning, I got in my car early and drove four and a half hours up here,” he said.

“I’m up here for the week on my own as well. Like I said, I’m experienced and  I’ve been about the game a long time to know what I need and what’s good for me. When I got this opportunity to come up here this week, I spoke to my dad who looks after me and  trains me and he said, ‘Go for it. Go up there.’

“I’ve been very frustrated. It’s been a real slow year when I’ve had things promised to me and stuff, but I’ve kind of had to take the positives with everything and not be so negative about things. Every single time I’ve had a setback this year, I’ve just took the positives.

“Good things come to those who wait.”

McKinson has spent much of his career waiting.

He had to wait years for his first major opportunities. When he did step up, he did everything asked of him and reeled off comfortable decision victories over the likes of Chris Kongo and Przemyslaw Runowski.

The impressive performances only served to alert his rivals to just how awkward and difficult a night’s work McKinson would be and he had to be patient before he got a shot at unbeaten American, Vergil Ortiz. 

In the ring, McKinson has attracted criticism for the unique, elusive style he employs in the ring and his lack of stoppages but his clever, patient, counter punching style means that he spends much of his time waiting for his opponents to lead.

The aggressive Ortiz only knows one way to fight and pressed the action from the start. A combination of Ortiz’s hard, accurate shots and a hip injury brought an end to the fight in the ninth round but McKinson performed well under fire and assumed that his enhanced profile would lead to more top level openings.

Instead, he has been forced to spend the two years since the loss ticking over against second tier opposition, biding his time until another opportunity presented itself.

It has finally arrived and if he is going to return to the very highest level, McKinson knows that he must impress against the dangerous Mbenge, 20-2 (15 KOs), this weekend.

“I haven’t been in many hard fights. I’ve had hard, tough opponents, but the way I box, it hasn’t been a hard night’s work. I feel like I can still go for a long time in this sport. As long as I’m still improving and as long as I’m still enjoying it, I’m happy,” he said.

“I’ve had it all my own way a lot of times in my career. Once they realize they’re out of depth, they don’t really want to commit. You use it as a compliment a little bit. For me, it’s a bit of an ego boost because I know the level I should be competing at.

“I was always getting tougher and tougher opposition, which are obviously harder and harder to knock out. I was making it look easy as I was going up levels and I didn’t need to knock people out.

“I’ve fought all tiers and I’ve dropped back down a couple of levels. These guys that I’ve been fighting, the last four opponents have  kind of been a walk in a park. I know I belong at world level.

“These are the important years of my career. In the back of my head, I know that I should be in with. They’ve all had good records and they’ve all been capable opponents, but I know the level I belong at. It’s just a matter of time.”

Time is ticking by and McKinson has decided to seize the initiative.

He isn’t a shop worn, defeated fighter, casting around for one final opportunity. McKinson is a stylistic nightmare for almost every top welterweight and he would be able to box and move his way to win after win against domestic and fringe world level opposition for years to come.

McKinson is bored of doing that. After a decade as a professional, he has accepted that boxing and moving isn’t going to tempt the division’s biggest names into the ring.

Although it didn’t go his way, McKinson took confidence from his fight with Ortiz and he wants to continue fighting at the highest level. The time he has spent trying to remain relevant after the loss has persuaded him that it is time to take more chances. 

Mbenge is the type of puncher that, in the past, McKinson would have taken great pleasure in defusing and frustrating. Now, he is set on taking him apart.

“I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder, having to prove myself to people. Whether that be to opposition, whether that be to promoters, whether that be to the boxing fans. I’ve always got my back up against the wall proving to people. I probably wouldn’t be the boxer I am today without that,” he said.

“When I lost to Ortiz, that was the end of my Matchroom deal and things like that.

“I sat back and thought, I could box on small hall shows again but everyone’s going to forget about me. 

“I went into last year with a mission. I know on points I can outpoint a lot of people in this  world. For the casuals, I knew I’d drop down a level or two and I went into last year with the ambition to stop people and I did. Two of my three last year. I know I have got that.

“Where my boxing ability is so good, why would I take chances? Now I’m at the stage in my career where I will take chances because I know that’s what’s going to keep opportunities coming, keep my face there. Keep love from the fans and keep love from the promoters because, at the end of the day, it’s show business, isn’t it?”