Karl Sheridan has spent the months since his first meeting with Jorge Huerta Balleza thinking about one thing – revenge.
The Dublin lightweight gets his chance to settle the score this Saturday night when he steps back through the ropes at the National Stadium on the JB Promotions show.
Sheridan heads into the rematch with a 2-1 record, but the defeat on his ledger has clearly not been forgotten.
Far from it.
The Dubliner has been itching for the opportunity to put the only blemish on his record right, and when the rematch with Balleza was made, there was no hesitation in accepting the rematch.
“I can’t wait for this fight,” Sheridan told Irish Boxing Digest. “Been the only thing on my mind since the result happened, righting a wrong.”
That desire for redemption comes after a productive outing against Jake Pollard in July, when Sheridan believes he showed more of the boxing ability that he knows he possesses.
Sheridan was pleased to show his ability to box, control of the range and avoiding getting caught clean, taking confidence from the performance despite knowing there is still more to come.
“I boxed more and showed my skill,” he said. “I don’t think I was touched at all during that fight and that’s what I need to be showing against all these lads.”
Now the focus is firmly back on Balleza.
Sheridan knows exactly what he believes went wrong in their first encounter and, importantly, he knows what he wants to change this time around.
The plan is to keep the fight at long range, establish the jab early and refuse to get dragged into the type of scrappy contest he believes Balleza will try to create.
“Not to be so close to him,” Sheridan explained. “He’ll look to spoil the fight by holding and throwing pot shots.
“I’m going to box off the jab and not get dragged down.”
For a fighter still in the infancy of his professional career, those lessons could prove crucial.
Sheridan isn’t simply looking to erase a defeat from his record – he wants to show the development that has taken place since the first meeting.
And he believes his preparation has put him in the best possible position to do exactly that.
“I’ve had the best camp so far and each camp is getting better and better.”
That camp has taken Sheridan beyond Dublin, with the lightweight travelling to Liverpool to get quality rounds under his belt, while also working with professional fighters closer to home.
“Been over in Liverpool sparring the best of the best and other professionals from Ireland,” he added.
Now the sparring is finished and the talking is almost done.
The only thing left is to settle it between the ropes.
Sheridan will walk into the National Stadium knowing exactly what is at stake. A win would not only level the score with Balleza but provide an opportunity to demonstrate just how much he has learned since the first encounter.
There is also no guarantee of a quick ring return after Saturday, with Sheridan set to spend the next couple of months working in London.
“I’ll be working in London for the next couple months so not sure exactly what the end of the year holds,” he admitted.
That makes Saturday’s assignment all the more important.
The opportunity is in front of him. The lessons have been learned.
And Sheridan has made it clear that he doesn’t intend to leave anything unresolved.
This time, he’s not just looking to show improvements, he is looking to settle a score.
IRISH BOXING DIGEST 
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