Fight night tomorrow for Coleraine's Matty Boreland

MARKING his seventh outing in less than two years as a professional boxer, Matty Boreland is back in the squared circle tomorrow night at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

Boreland, at the time of this posting, is on his way to the official weigh-ins for tomorrow night's bout against a more experienced competitor in Tanzania's Charles Tondo in a six-rounder.

"A tough opponent with a good knockout rate and he’s a southpaw – this is definitely the type of fight I need to move on to the next level and one that I will learn from,” Boreland told the Coleraine Chronicle.

“I don’t want to take many easy fights and build myself up. I would rather be thrown into the deep end and test myself every time.”

The Coleraine boxer believes the bout is the ideal way to kick-start a busy year in the ring.

“It’s a good way to start the new year off right. I plan to be busy this year, and I would like to lift another belt – or maybe two,” he added.

“So we’ll get this one out of the way and then set that target of a fight before the summer, but it’s all eyes on this one.”

Boreland also revealed that preparations for the fight have gone smoothly, with a demanding training camp already behind him.

“This camp has gone really well. I’ve done a lot of sparring with Conor Quinn, who is the main event on the card and fighting for a Commonwealth belt; he’s probably one of the best boxers I’ve ever been in with.”

Boreland believes that since his last outing in September, when he claimed the Irish Title, he feels the work is beginning to show tangible results.

“There haven’t been any changes in preparation, I just keep working on what I’ve worked on with Ryan Burnett.

“Every fight we’ve had together, we’re starting to see how it’s paying off,” he explained.

“I feel like I’ve improved much more since the fight with Rudy (Ruadhan) Farrell, let alone over the last year, so I think everyone is going to be shocked at how much I’ve improved.”

Looking further ahead, Boreland hopes increased activity will continue his upward momentum.

“I would certainly like to be much more active in 2026. Two fights before the summer would be great, and two closer to the end of the year.”