Macaulay McGowan ready for Sergio Martinez challenge

Two years ago Macaulay McGowan feared his son, Albie, would be brain damaged for life, so fighting the great Sergio Martinez holds little fear for the Manchester native.

The baby was born in December 2019, with the 27-year-old and his wife Francesca in turmoil after they were told of the neonatal brain injury.

"It was a waiting game. You go home being told he might never walk, talk or have a normal development," McGowan said before his fight against Martinez in Madrid on 27 January.

"Albie suffered from HIE (hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy). It is a lack of oxygen at birth. It meant he could not breathe and suffered brain damage.

"He had to go under a process called therapeutic cooling for 72 hours, where they lower the temperature of the baby to stop secondary brain damage.

"Whether it was God-given or luck I don't know. He ended up crawling, walking and developed like any normal child.

"There are a few things he is a little bit behind in, but if we were told he would be at this stage aged two, we would have taken it."

McGowan's career suffered a setback during his son's health battle. After winning 14 and drawing one of his first 15 professional contests, he has lost both fights since Albie's birth.

He admits Kazakh fighter Tursynbay Kulakhmet "battered" him in a points defeat in November 2020.

Perhaps foolishly, he accepted another fight a month later. Although he lasted 10 rounds again, McGowan lost widely on points against Northampton's Kieron Conway.

"It had to be all-in or all-out. I decided it was time to be all-in," said McGowan after doing plenty of "soul-searching" last year.

He joined new trainer Joe Gallagher and last month was unexpectedly offered the opportunity to face former WBC and WBO middleweight world champion Martinez.

The Spain-based Argentinian, who has lost just three times in 59 professional fights, celebrates his 47th birthday next month and his return is baffling.

Martinez quit boxing after losing to Miguel Cotto in June 2014 when he was retired on his stool by trainer Pablo Sarmiento after nine brutally one-sided rounds at Madison Square Garden.

The two-weight world champion was a pale shadow of himself and was floored four times in round one. After surgery on his right knee left his movement severely restricted, it was difficult to understand why Martinez was permitted to fight.

In his pomp between 2010 and 2013, the South American defeated Darren Barker, Sergiy Dzinziruk, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Matthew Macklin, Martin Murray, Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams. He was the main man at 160lbs.

More than six years after the Cotto loss, Martinez returned in August 2020 and stopped unknowns Jose Miguel Fandino and Jussi Koivula.

Martinez has not boxed since his third comeback fight in September. Then, he outpointed former British super welterweight champion Brian Rose - the sixth Briton he has defeated in a professional career that began more than 27 years ago.

Why he is making a comeback that could end in tears only Martinez and those among his inner circle will know.

McGowan was shocked when the call came last month to box one of his idols in a non-title 10-rounder. He met Martinez last summer and asked for a picture together, believing their paths would never cross again.

"I think Martinez is a clean living, stand-up guy, inspirational and doing this to motivate the next generation," said McGowan.

"He probably believes he could still show people what you can do if you put your mind to it.

"To be fighting and living in the gym at 46 I have nothing but respect. It can't be money. It has to be a deeper meaning, wanting to win a world title at such an old age.

"At 46 I would not be fighting. I will have a flat nose and cauliflower ear. I will not look as good as Sergio at 46.

"Some attributes he had in his prime, Martinez hasn't got now. His reflexes are slower and he hasn't the legs. His ring IQ, power and strength is there."

A win over Martinez would mean a lot to McGowan regardless of his opponent's age and the Briton is eager to get his boxing career back on track.

"I'm not training to go there and say I fought Sergio Martinez. I want to win. I might not get the opportunity to fight someone like this again," he said.

"[My coach] Joe has been relentless, done so much to help me go there and do the business. The thought process behind and the amount of dedication from him as a coach has made me up my game."