PADDY Barnes intends to have the world flyweight title belt around his waist within 10 professional fights.
Double Olympic Games medal-winner Barnes, who confirmed that he had crossed over from the amateur to the punch-for-pay ranks yesterday, has his sights set on a big money rumble with his former Olympic nemesis Zou Shiming in China.
The former Holy Family ABC star couldn’t confirm it, but there is speculation that MGM (Macklin’s Gym Marbella) will manage his career and he looks set to debut on a show at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on November 5 which is headlined by Jamie Conlan.
“I can’t wait, it’s a new journey and a new part of my life and I’m looking forward to it,” said Barnes.
“Within 10 fights hopefully I’ll be fighting for a world title so that’s the target I’m setting. There’s no point in hanging about – the people I was fighting in World Series of Boxing were 10 times better than journeymen.
“I want to step up and move on – hopefully I’ll fight for a European title within five fights. The fight that I really want is the guy from China - Zou Shiming. He’s the big money fight and he’s the one who I’ll be targeting. I want to win the world title, go to China and defend it against him.”
Barnes said he had decided to turn pro before the Olympics. His controversial loss to Spain’s Samuel Carmona Heredia in Rio followed by the inexplicable decision given against his good friend Michael Conlan removed any doubts that may have been lingering in his mind.
“It was the only thing I could do because after what happened in Rio it’s going to be hard for anyone from Ireland to get a decision (in amateur boxing),” he said.
“It’s the best thing for my career and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
“My mind was made up before Rio, I was talking to the people who I’m signing with before the Olympics so this was always the plan.”
The two-time Olympic Games bronze medallist and Commonwealth Games champion says pro training may actually be less taxing than his regime as an Ireland High Performance fighter.
“It’s not really going to be a massive change in my lifestyle,” he said.
“I’ve been a professional more or less for my whole career – my life has been boxing and I’ve been training twice a day every day of the week away from my family in Dublin.
“I probably trained more as an amateur than I will as a professional.”
Barnes added: “I haven’t been training at all since I came back from Rio, I’ve been enjoying myself, there’s been plenty of relaxing done, but I’ll be starting training this week, knocking my pan out every day.”
Meanwhile, there is mounting speculation that Carl Frampton will travel to Las Vegas for a rematch with Leo Santa Cruz on December 3.
‘The Jackal’ beat Santa Cruz in Brooklyn, New York on July 30 to win the WBA featherweight strap and become only the second Irishman – Steve Collins was the first – to win titles at two different weight divisions.
