Slowly but surely, Sam Hickey is finding his feet as a professional boxer.
His stellar amateur career - he’s one of Scotland’s most successful-ever amateur boxers - gave him the perfect springboard from which to catapult into the professional ranks but even with his impressive track record, Hickey admits there’s nothing quite like being in the heat of a professional fight to teach you what it feels like to be a pro boxer.
“It’s when you're under the lights that you really find out what people are talking about when they're talking about the pros,” the 25-year-old says.
“The professionals is completely different to the amateurs and sometimes you need to go backwards to go forward. I had felt like I was stuck in a little bit of a rut in training but then, and I don't know why, the penny dropped and I feel like I've really pushed on recently.
“You're never going to be the complete fighter so I'm just trying to get better all the time.”
Since turning professional last year, Hickey, who won Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, has impressed in his two victories to date and he’s looking to continue that run this evening, when he takes on Englishman Harley Hodgetts on the undercard of the Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco fight. With this being the Scot’s third bout in less than eight months, he’s looking to add another victory to his pro record, as well as showcase what he can do in the hope of securing a slot on some big cards in the near future.
I've been in the gym since my last fight so it's hard not to be in good shape when you've been training for this long,” he says.
“I want to just keep building my record and with each win, I get closer to getting these big fights that I want. I was happy with my last fight but what has really given me confidence is not necessarily the fights, it's how I've been feeling in the gym and so I’m looking forward to getting another win.”
Hickey was in the crowd during Josh Taylor’s defeat to Ekow Essuman last month - his third consecutive loss - and with the Dundonian touted as one of the young fighters most likely to fill the void left in Scottish boxing when Taylor ultimately retires, he’s relishing the opportunity to attempt to emulate Taylor.
Hickey is, however, adamant that the only person who is worthy of deciding if the former undisputed champion of the world should hang up his gloves is Taylor himself.
“During Josh's fight we saw glimpses of how good he is but I think he just got a bit tired towards the end and Ekow took over a little bit later on in the fight,” he says.
“It was sad to see him lose because he's one of the very best fighters this country has ever produced.
“It's tough to know if we will see Josh fight again because the level he has been at is so high and I can't see Josh wanting to step down the levels.
“You can't ever tell somebody they should retire and so if Josh feels like he still has the desire then I'm sure he'll be back. But it’s down to him.
“Josh has done great things in this sport and he was a huge role model for me growing up. He took a lot of time out to speak to me and so I'll always be grateful for that.
“And looking forward, there’s a lot of us who want to step up and follow what Josh has done.”
With Hickey’s three pro bouts to date having been south of the border, it’s perhaps unsurprising that he’s keen to fight in Scotland sooner rather than later. Having witnessed some of the shows Taylor brought to Scotland, the Dundonian is in little doubt that he wants to recreate those kind of fight night himself.
“The quicker I have some big fight nights in Scotland, the better,” he says.
“Ultimately I'd love to do what Josh ended up doing and have my own big shows in Scotland.
“Everyone I speak to in Dundee reckons I could fill a few thousand-seater already and so if I can start there, it's like a snowball and as long as you keep winning, the shows get bigger and bigger.
“The plan is to be in some good fights against some good opponents and maybe even get a title eliminator sometime soon.”
