​Cathal Jennings – a bin man by day and professional boxer by night

The 30-year-old bin man is up bright and early for his day job and is finished by noon with a work-out of up to 20,000 steps under his belt before his training begins.

“I love it – maybe love is a stretch like, but I really do. I do enjoy doing the bins,” Jennings told the Newry Reporter when we met at St Monica’s Boxing Club where his childhood coach Owen Murphy is still a mentor and has helped him a lot throughout his fighting journey.

Cathal started boxing at 14 years of age and meandered in and out of the sport before his talent was truly spotted in Holy Cross BC Belfast under head coach Dan Anderson, who he has been with for the last year. Cathal was semi-pro at that stage when he was unsure of where his career was at but sure he wanted to box.

“He told me I was wasting my time as semi pro, that I should turn professional, that I was wasting the talent.”

Jennings started out kick boxing when he was 13 with Pat Colgan who worked with his dad in the council.

“I was getting in fights when I was younger. I was quite small, so I wasn't winning most of them. So, [my dad] decided to send me over just to be able to protect myself,” he explained.

“Children can be very mean. It's probably worse today over social media and stuff, but I think that's just what boys go through when they're growing up.

“In a way I'm glad because it kind of hardened me up a wee bit. As mad as that sounds, it kind of prepares you then you're really ready for anything. I learned how to protect myself and then was never bullied ever again.”

Cathal then discovered boxing under coaches Murphy and Seamus McCormack at Sacred Heart BC.

“I fell in love with it straight away to be honest with you, I just love the training. I love the intensity of it and all. I never went back to kickboxing ever again.”

Cathal was in and out of boxing during his teenage years but eventually went to Belfast where he trained at Holy Family BC.

“I felt like I got into senior boxing when I was in Belfast. I trained there for two, three years, it was where Paddy Barnes and people like Ryan Burnett boxed, so I learned loads. I felt like that's really what took me to the next level - what actually brought me to the stage where I probably was capable of going pro."

He won Ulster intermediates at welterweight and then lost the Ulster Elite Final to Eugene McKeever in 2021 who went to the Commonwealth Games in his stead.

"He was reigning Irish champion. There was no shame losing to the Irish elite champion."

Injury halted Cathal’s career after that again but his heart was still in the ring and after a couple of fights the following year he took up coaching at Sacred Heart.

“I always felt like I had more in me. I was 28 than and decided, I was going to give it a go.”

He booked a session with Anderson and it took off from there albeit with a halting start. Jennings had his first pro fight booked in February but it was cancelled when John Cooney sadly died in the ring. He fought and won in April in the Devenish.

“My coach said I was punch perfect, I won quite comfortably but I feel like I could have done better. But I'm my worst critic. I was fit then, and I'm twice as fit now.”

He’s fighting Connor Meanwell, from England and while he says on paper it’s “a bit of a step up,” Jennings is feeling confident. “I feel like he's tailor made for me, so I feel like I'm going to do a job.”