He is one of the most talented and decorated amateur boxers to come out of the North East, and this month, he will make his professional debut. For almost a decade, Kiaran MacDonald boxed for Team GB at the very highest level, becoming a European Championship and Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the process.
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At the end of his elite amateur career, which spanned well over 100 bouts, the 28-year-old Sunderland fighter narrowly missed out on representing Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 51kg class despite having 10 gruelling qualifying bouts and winning seven of them at the European Games. As a mark of his quality, he ended up losing the semi-final to eventual Olympics silver medallist and later world champion, Billal Bennama of France.
It was a crushing blow for the Millfield southpaw, but a more worrying development manifested when he had to undergo surgery for a benign lump on his neck just under two years ago. The surgery resulted in nerve injury, which could have derailed his sporting ambitions.
Wales’ Jake Dodd (Red) and England’s Kiaran Macdonald (Blue) in the Men’s Fly (48-51kg) Semi-Final at The NEC on day nine of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham -Credit:PA
Decorated amateur
But Kiaran managed to get himself back to full fitness and healed up completely after six months of recovery – and his love for the sport is well and truly back. Now training under the guidance of former lightweight world champion Anthony Crolla in Manchester, Kiaran will make his professional debut on fellow Sunderland boxer’s Josh Kelly undercard at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on January 31.
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“I’ve achieved everything I can as an amateur, other than the Olympics”, Kiaran said. “Having 10 qualifying fights and winning seven, but still not qualifying was a bit of a kick in the teeth. But it is what it is.
“I’ve medalled in major tournaments and it’s now time for a new chapter to see how far I can go as a pro. I’ve found the love for the sport again.
“Professional boxing is about excitement and people want to see action. It’s an entertainment business and you’ve got to entertain. I’ve got a high skill set and a high level boxing IQ.”
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‘You want to be strong’
Kiaran will begin his career at super-flyweight, with the possibility of moving up to bantamweight – weight categories that are renowned for explosive, highly-technical fights. “You want to be strong and knocking people out”, he said.
Kiaran began boxing at a young age, plying his trade at Sunderland ABC in Barnes, and acquired a wealth of experience in the ring. At the National Championships final in 2016, he beat Sunny Edwards – who later went on to hold the IBF World Flyweight title between 2021 and 2023.
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Kiaran’s lengthy amateur experience gives him hope that he can move up the ladder relatively quickly in the paid ranks. He said: “I want to get as many wins under my belt in this first year as I can.
“If I can get an opportunity to fight for a title at the end of the year, I’d grab that with both hands. Obviously, Anthony Crolla is going to make sure I’m not getting put into stupid fights that I shouldn’t be in.”
Surgery
At the end of 2024, Kiaran found himself in a worrying situation after a benign lump was found on his neck. It was set to be a routine surgery to remove it, but a thoracic nerve was nicked during the procedure. He said: “Basically, I was half paralysed for a couple of months. They hadn’t completely severed the nerve and the surgeon told me it could come back, but could take two years or maybe never again.
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“After that I was a bit lost, thinking ‘what am I going to do?’. It was a dark time for that little period.”
Silver medalist Kiaran Macdonald during the medal ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games -Credit:Getty Images
Sights set on debut
Fortunately, Kiaran managed to get himself back to full health and fitness and is now “fully back”. He trains throughout the week in Manchester, coming back to the North East on weekends. He has his sights on making an impression on the Matchroom undercard at the end of this month.
He added: “I can’t wait for people to see what we’ve been working on in the gym. I really do want to thank everyone for their support and I couldn’t be more grateful. It’s been unbelievable.”
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Limited tickets are still available for Kiaran’s debut on the Josh Kelly undercard and tickets can be bought directly through him. Those wanting tickets can contact him directly on Instagram here.
Josh Kelly will hope to become Sunderland’s first world champion on January 31 as he takes on Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF World Super Welterweight title. Tickets for the main event in Newcastle can be bought here.