Mark Heffron’s manager, Kevin Maree, believes that his fighter still has what it takes to make an impact on the world stage.
Last Saturday, Heffron (30-3-1, 24 KO’s) scored a brutal second-round knockout of Serhii Ksendzov. It was Heffron’s first outing under his new trainer, Lee Beard, and the first time he has been in the ring since he lost his British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles to Jack Cullen last September.
The victory over Ksendzov will make little impact outside of Heffron’s inner circle but Maree told boxingscene.com that the nature of the win will have done wonders for Heffron’s confidence.
“Mark came back with a bang last Saturday and I think he needed that,” Maree said. “The Jack Cullen fight hit him hard. I think he made a lot of mistakes going into that fight. That’s not taking anything away from Jack at all. He fought a fantastic fight and landed a brilliant shot but I can only talk from our side. You can be very experienced but still get things wrong and Mark made some mistakes.”
The Heffron’s are a well-known family and the 32-year-old Oldham-man sells hundreds of tickets every time he boxes in his hometown. Those supporters have followed him to the nearby Manchester Arena for his two most high profile opportunities. In 2018 he was stopped in 10 by an outstanding Liam Williams and then came last year’s disappointing third-round defeat to Cullen.
Conversely, Heffron’s best performances have come away from home. In the midst of the pandemic, he and Denzel Bentley boxed to a quality draw in a vacant British middleweight title fight which took place in a closed off television studio and in 2022, he travelled to London and demolished Lennox Clarke in five rounds to win the Lonsdale Belt at super middleweight.
Maree sees no reason to tread water at this stage of Heffron’s career and is much more inclined to press on beyond British level than drop back into the mix with the likes of new champion, Zak Chelli, Callum Simpson and Mark Jeffers.
Maree believes that the time is right to take a gamble and that Heffron’s heavy hands give him a chance against anybody.
“You never know what the landscape is going to throw up,” Maree said. “We’ll sit down and look at what’s out there. We’ve been around British level now for many years. Even after the Cullen fight I do still believe Mark has the potential to go on way past that level. I want us to push on.
“Everyone knows Mark’s a monster ticket seller and that has to have an effect on you, not just with the running around on fight week delivering tickets but also with the pressure in the arena. It might be time for Mark to have a fight away from home where all he’s got to concentrate on is the boxing.
“Mark has special, special power. When he’s comfortable and his shoulders are relaxed and he lets those hands go, there’s nobody on this planet who can take that power if he lands it clean. He’s always got a chance against anybody he’s in the ring with.
“If there are any Americans out there who want a kid with an Irish background in Boston or New York, give us a ring and we’ll be on that plane.”
Maree won’t limit his search for the right opportunity to 168lbs. Super middleweight remains Heffron’s best weight but if an attractive opening were to appear at 175lbs, Maree would have little hesitation in putting his man forward and he revealed that they said ‘yes’ to a high profile assignment at light heavyweight not too long ago.
“A few months ago we accepted the Anthony Yarde fight. Mark’s not scared of a challenge. He’s willing to fight anybody. It’s just getting him the fight that’s right for Mark and maybe that’s the way to go. Give him a fight with no pressure.”
