Mayo boxer Ray Moylette ready to go out with a bang

One last time through the ropes, one last trip around the four-cornered ring. Ray Moylette has been boxing for 25 years and it will all come to an end on Sunday night in Castlebar when he has his final fight in front of a packed house in The TF Royal.

The Islandeady man had a hugely successful amateur career, bringing the World junior and European senior titles back to St Anne's BC in Westport where he was welcomed by huge crowds of supporters.

“Those were mighty days and nights. We've had some great times along the way and so many people supported me,” Moylette told The Mayo News as the countdown continued to Sunday's big fight in Castlebar.

“I fought in The TF before and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I've fought in hundreds of venues around the world and nothing compared to the noise and excitement we had that night in 2018.”

Moylette's professional career began well with eight wins on the bounce but the Covid pandemic and family life intervened, so Sunday night's bout against tough Welshman Jake Tinklin, will be his last and he aims to go out with a bang.

“This is huge for me. People only remember how things end, they don't always think about the other bits along the way, so I want to go out there on Sunday night and be as good as I possibly can be.

“After all these years, I want to give it everything in The TF and have a night we'll never forget. I'm so thankful for all the people who have bought tickets for Sunday night. I can feel that support. It means a lot to me and hopefully we can all enjoy it,” he added but the former Irish senior champion will get nothing easy against Tinklin.

The Welsh man boasts an impressive record of eleven wins from 13 fights, and is not just any opponent. Coming off a hard-fought battle with Senan Kelly for the BUI Celtic Light Welterweight Championship earlier this year, the Welsh warrior has proven himself to be a formidable boxer with a heart of a lion. Moylette will have to be at his best to win it.

The big event received a huge boost this week with news that one of the best-known heavyweights in the world, Dillian Whyte had been added to the bill.

The man who shared the ring with some of the best heavyweights on the planet, including Tyson Fury, Alexander Povetkin and Luis Ortiz will take on German-Romanian Christian Hammer in a massive addition to the Castlebar line-up.

If Whyte wins in Castlebar, the Briton known as The Bodysnatcher hopes to pursue big-name fights in the coming months, including taking on Anthony Joshua who had an impressive win in Friday night's big fight in Saudi Arabia against Francis Ngannou.

A limited number of tickets are still available for Sunday night's show.