Carrigan, from Carlisle, is on the undercard at the Next King of Scotland show in Glasgow, where his four-round super-welterweight bout with Poland’s Dawid Przybylski is a much-anticipated contest for the many observers who feel Carrigan is a world champion in the making.
The 18-year-old swept through the amateur game, winning titles at regional, national and international level, becoming World Under-19 champion last year. Now signed to Frank Warren’s promotion company Queensberry, and managed by the legendary Shelly Finkel, Carrigan carries big expectations to Scotland’s capital as he fights Przybylski.
He is aware of the need to stand out now that he is in the pro arena. “You can’t just look like a big, boring boxer,” he says. “You’ve got to have those eyecatching moments. But I’ve got to stay cool about it. Don’t play to the crowd, keep to the game plan and try and enjoy it.”
Carrigan appears relaxed as we talk in the Tenacity gym in Hartlepool, his base since turning pro. Having learned his craft at Border City Amateur Boxing Club in Carlisle, these are the next steps for someone described by Queensberry as “the best prospect in world boxing.”
How does he feel about such billing? “It’s nice for people to say that. But it shouldn’t cross your mind too much. Anyone can say you’re the top prospect, but you’ve got to prove it, haven’t you?
Carrigan trains with coach John Stubbs at the Tenacity gym in Hartlepool – his base since turning professional earlier this year (Image: Jon Colman)
“I’ve always had expectations and pressure in Carlisle. Every time I entered a box cup or championship, everyone thought, ‘Yeah, he’s going to win it’. So it’s normal. I put pressure on myself, and I think it’s good. I must be doing something right if people are watching me and saying those things.”
Carrigan was a six-year-old with little grasp of boxing when he first joined Border City under the eye of Ian Archibald and his fellow coaches. He followed his big cousin, Isaac, to the gym and steadily learned both the craft of boxing and his own developing passion for it.
“Mum and dad brought Isaac down, so I trained with him for a few sessions, and ever since I’ve always been around it. I loved it. I always watched boxing on the telly, but that was the first time I really thought about it.
“I didn’t take it that seriously to start with. But after I won my first junior title, I thought, ‘I must be good at this’. So I started getting my weight down, dieting a bit more. You’ve got to be dedicated, haven’t you? You can’t just leave the gym and go to McDonald’s. I mean, I wish you could, but…’”
Carrigan flourished at Border City and titles followed in prolific sequence. As he progressed to the England scene he also came on the radar of Tenacity. Archibald had long urged the north east club to take a look at the rising young star, and Carrigan trained there ahead of his World Under-19 campaign, where he was victorious in Colorado by defeating Brazil’s Gabriel Dias Dos Santos in the Under-70kg final.
Since then he retained his national youth title before turning pro when he became 18. He last boxed in February. “I can’t wait to be back,” he says. “I’ve had a few dates I’ve been training for, but the [fight] was pushed back. So I’m more than ready to go.”
Star names… Carrigan is managed by the legendary American, Shelly Finkel, left, and is also signed to Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, right (Image: PA)
As Carrigan linked up with Tenacity, he was also signed by two major names in Shelly Finkel and Frank Warren. Finkel has managed some of the greatest names in boxing, from Mike Tyson to Manny Pacquiao and Evander Holyfield. “He’s done that with them, so there’s no reason he can’t do it with me,” Carrigan says.
“He’s always on the phone, most days, asking how training’s going, just making sure I’m feeling alright. You feel you’re in good hands with him. He’s a man of his word. He knows what he’s doing.”
Warren’s Queensberry Promotions were also quick to snap up Carrigan. “Ever since I wanted to turn pro, I always wanted to sign with Queensberry,” he says. “I’ve had a few conversations with [Warren], back and forth. He’s just said to keep my head down in the gym. If you see him at a boxing show, he’ll just come over and talk. He’s just like a normal person, to be honest.
“When I was at the the Josh Taylor show in Glasgow, his two sons were straight over to me too. They’re looking after me, trying to get my name out there.”
Queensberry oversee the careers of some enviable names, among them Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker. Does Carrigan try to emulate any star in particular? “There’s lots you can look up to. Billy Joe Saunders’ little movements, Terence Crawford…but everyone’s different. I wouldn’t say I want to be like this boxer [in particular]. I’ve got a style of John Joe Carrigan.”
Carrigan is unfazed about taking on a more experienced customer in Przybylski, having mainly faced boxers his own age during his amateur rise. “I’ve always sparred men since I was 12. I’ve always jumped in with anyone. I’m not really bothered.”
Carrigan, guided by Border City Amateur Boxing Club in Carlisle, won an impressive series of junior and youth titles at regional, national, European and World level (Image: Border City ABC)
John Stubbs, his coach at Tenacity, believes Carrigan can handle that aspect of the occasion and all else in tonight’s contest, which will be shown live on DAZN. “John Joe’s a man, but he’s still developing. This [opponent] is a fully-grown bloke. He’s about 30 and I think this will be his sixth professional fight. He’s experienced in combat sports, does a bit of kickboxing. It might be a bit unorthodox and could pose a bit of a challenge for us. But we’re not worried.”
Stubbs is confident Carrigan’s work ethic and skill set have him on a path to the top. “He trains two or three times a day, one day’s rest a week. He never likes to rest too much. The strength and conditioning work has been a step up and the difference in him physically is massive.
“I knew him from coaching on the England Pathway. Archie [Ian Archibald] had been telling me for years about him. The first time I worked with him you could see he was a special talent. He was constantly getting better, and nothing he’s done has surprised me. When he’s been sparring with lads ranked in the top ten, he’s been holding his own, and that’s before he’s made his debut.
“I honestly think – and this isn’t pressure on him, it’s just what we expect – that he can be world champion, and hopefully a multi-weight world champion. If he keeps doing what he’s doing now, he’s definitely good enough. But he knows that until he does something, talking about it means nothing. Until he’s got a world title on his waist, he’s not happy.”
Carrigan nods. “There’s no point saying you’re going to be this or that if you don’t back it up. But I wouldn’t box if I wasn’t confident.”
Coach John Stubbs, right, says he “honestly believes” the 18-year-old from Carlisle is a future world boxing champion (Image: Jon Colman)
Is there a timeframe in mind for Carrigan’s planned ascent to the top? “He’d box for a world title today,” Stubbs says. “And I wouldn’t let him! Shelly is our guide on that. My job is just to make sure we can beat the people who are put in front of us. We were talking the other day, saying, ‘world title by 23’. John Joe’s words were, ‘I want one before that’. We’ll take it one step at a time.”
Carrigan is appreciative of the fundamental part played by Border City ABC in his aspiring career. He often returns to the Carlisle club, who will be well represented in the Glasgow crowd tonight, to train and help other young boxers – while the boy from Todhills is further reminded of his growing name locally.
“I don’t get recognised that much when I’m here [Hartlepool], but when I do go back to Carlisle, I’ve had people in town asking for pictures. It’s quite strange, isn’t it? An 18-year-old lad and a grown man’s asked me for a picture.
“It’s good. It’s putting Carlisle on the map, and there are other good boxers in the area too. I hope they do well for Carlisle as well.”
The final days and hours before his debut see Carrigan going through the pre-fight formalities in Glasgow, including a press conference and the weigh-in, and trying to balance the nervous anticipation with some necessary downtime. “It’s always in the back of your head, and you can’t forget about boxing, but you have to try and switch off. Keep talking to the lads, play on your phone, watch TikTok, keep chilled out.
Carrigan says he hopes to “put Carlisle on the map” in his aspiring boxing career (Image: Jon Colman)
“I wouldn’t say I get nervous much, but I probably will be for my first pro fight. But whenever I got nervous as an amateur, I always just thought, ‘He’s only got two hands, hasn’t it?’ There’s no point overthinking it too much.”
That also applies when it comes to Przybylski. Carrigan admits he knows “nothing” about his opponent, leaving the meat of the research and planning to Stubbs and the Tenacity team, who are also mindful of the pitfalls of professional life.
“The pros can be a game where everyone wants a piece of you,” Stubbs says. “It’s like when the carcass comes into the butchers, and they take a bit of the thigh off, a bit of the leg off…everyone wants to make some money off you, and you’re the one going in there and getting your head punched. You need someone that’s looking out for you, someone you can trust.”
There must be carefully managed “building blocks,” adds Stubbs, when it comes to growing Carrigan’s career and not burning his talent out. “We haven’t spoken too much about what happens after [boxing], but those will be conversations we have down the line. The goal at the minute is to reach the top of the sport, and from there we can see what happens.”
The big stage awaits in Glasgow. Asked, from one to ten, how excited he is for his debut, Carrigan grins and says: “About 25.” Then he adds: “All the bright lights, the big walkout, all the people shouting for you…it’s completely different from what I’ve had before. I think I’ll feed off the crowd.
“When I was at the Josh Taylor fight, the atmosphere was unbelievable. Everyone was screaming. You just picture yourself in the middle of that.”