Boxing: Unfulfilled talent Heron eyeing ring return at 45

FORMER super middleweight Edinburgh boxer Sean Heron has reapplied for his boxing licence, with a decision expected in October later this year.

The 45-year-old, who was once ranked at number four in Britain during his peak, is awaiting a decision from the British Boxing Board of Control, a verdict he hopes will enable him to return to the ring to attend to some unfinished business.

Heron, whose last bout was in 1995, relives the past with a degree of regret, conceding he perhaps wasted a golden opportunity to make a greater impact in the sport he continues to adore. “I look back and think I had too much going on in my head with a lot of distractions,” Heron said. “At that age, I just wasn’t focussed enough and didn’t realise what I had.

“If I am being honest, I think I was only playing the game at about 70 per cent. But back then the advice about living the correct lifestyle with regards to eating the right foods and training the correct way wasn’t really spoken about. My manager once told me I was the biggest waste of talent and could have gone all the way. Every boxer knows his capabilities, no matter what age he is. We’ll see how it goes if I get my licence but I would be an idiot to say I’m going to do this and I’m going to do that. However, should the decision go my way, I would be quite happy to fight at cruiserweight (14 stone).”

Heron admits seeing former world champion Chris Eubank publically declare his desire to return to the competitive world of boxing, has only underlined his view that those who hold their reservations over age restrictions shouldn’t allow such an issue to cloud their judgements ahead of natural flair and ability – credentials Heron believes he still has hidden within the gloves.

“When the article came out about Eubank wanting to make his return, I thought to myself there’s another boxer who I’ve both trained with and competed with. His mindset appears to be the same as mine and he thinks he can still do it, so we’ll see what happens with Chris. It would be great to get a matchup with him should he choose to compete at the same weight.

“I feel fit and ready but I want to get myself into tip-top shape and should I receive the go-ahead, arrange a couple of warm-up fights and try and get back into the top ten in Britain.

“The only thing I have lost is time but I haven’t lost anything in my ability. I’ve got the right training programmes now and I would hopefully be able to get Austin Handren in to be my pads man as I believe he is one of the best in the country. He doesn’t get the recognition and respect he should but he is just something else.”

Heron has been running his own amateur boxing club since 2010, a well kitted-out establishment on West Harbour Road. He added: “I would have loved a gym back then like the one I’ve got now. I’ve got the weights, the bags, the pads and the ring, so it’s all there and a great facility to have.”