REIGNING Irish lightweight champion Sean McComb believes there is a "70-30" chance that he could be going to this summer's inaugural European Games in Baku - despite not being named in the initial 13-strong squad.
The Holy Trinity stylist admits he was disappointed to be overlooked in favour of David Oliver Joyce when the Irish team was announced at the end of February, but Joyce's AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) commitments could yet benefit McComb.
Joyce is still in the running for an automatic Olympic qualifying place through APB, and will take on tough Uzbek Hurshid Tojibaev in an eight-round contest on the weekend of May 29-30 - just days before the Irish team heads for the Azerbaijani capital.
The European Games get under way on June 12 and, following conversations with Irish head coach Billy Walsh, McComb is preparing as though he is Baku-bound.
He said: "I was disappointed because I've done everything that's been asked of me - I won the Irish seniors, I've been in Dublin every week. And for that to come out all of a sudden, without me being told... I wasn't expecting it.
"But Billy told me just to keep ticking over because there's a strong possibility I could still be going. David Oliver's fight is an eight rounder, right at the end of May, so anything could happen.
"I'm preparing as if I'm going, because I think it's 70-30 in my favour at the minute, so I have to prepare like I am going."
An eye injury kept McComb out of the Strandja tournament in Sofia last month but, at the Whiterock Leisure Centre on Friday night, he returned to competitive action for the first time since his Irish elite final win over George Bates in January.
And it didn't look as though there any cobwebs to be blown away as McComb strolled to a comprehensive victory over Sebastián Pérez Garrido, hardly tasting leather over the course of the three-round contest.
"It's all about making it as easy as possible - anything for an easy fight," he said.
"I try and stick to my advantages, and obviously that's boxing, and keeping it long because of my height for this weight.
"There's no reason why I should be rusty. I'm having harder spars down in Dublin. I'm sparring with David Oliver and [Irish senior bantamweight champion] Kurt Walker.
"I'm doing 30 rounds of sparring every week down in Dublin near enough, so the sparring is as good as you could get."
McComb's performance on Friday night was made all the more impressive considering the turmoil his family had experienced in the week before.
He lost his cousin Wayne McComb to suicide and admits he considered pulling out of Friday's international showdown.
"It was hard to get motivated to go to training, losing weight and all that. It was very tough. But the best place for me is in the boxing club. That clears my mind," he added.
"I was nearly not going to take the fight, but I knew it would do me the world of good because if you're focusing on a fight, it helps take your mind off a lot of things. I'm glad I did take it in the end - it was the best thing for me."
BELFAST v SPAIN
Results of Belfast v Spain international at Whiterock leisure centre 52kg: Gabriel Escobar Mascuñano bt
TJ Waite (Cairn Lodge) 2-1 57kg: Michaela Walsh (Holy Family) bt Lara Rebeca Maria 2-1 60kg: Sean McComb (Holy Trinity) bt Sebastián Pérez Garrido 3-0 60kg: Jennifer Miranda Maqueda bt Alana Audley Murphy (Eastside) 2-1 64kg: Kelly Harrington (Antrim) bt Miriam Gutierrez Parra 3-0 64kg: Joe Fitzpatrick (Immaculata) bt Johann Eduardo Orozco Ojeda 2-1 70kg: Bronagh Walsh (Antrim) bt Tamara Fabiana Garcia Zaragoz 3-0 75kg: Caoimhin Hynes (Holy Trinity) bt Damián Biacho Bolequia 3-0