Charlie Flynn: I’ll quit professional boxing if elbow operation is unsuccessful

Charlie Flynn, who first boxed at age seven, has suffered a debilitating elbow injury as a result (Pic by Mark Shields)

Speaking exclusively to the Motherwell Times, The Mailman (26) – who famously won a lightweight gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – said he’s planning to make a comeback after a sabbatical from the ring stretching back to March 2018.

“I’m looking at getting an operation on my elbow, getting it sorted,” the ex-Royal Mail worker said.

“I have a damaged tendon in my right elbow and I can’t box with it, it’s as simple as that.

“I can’t do a press up, I’ve had it the last year.

“It’s just a cumulative thing, hyper extending and over reaching. There’s muscle wastage, a build-up of fluid and a torn tendon.

“It’s not good, but once that gets sorted out I’ll be fine. I’m not in a rush.

“I will have one more crack at it. If I have another major injury I’ll just pull the plug on it.

“But if it all goes fine, I’m back winning titles and everything’s brilliant, then so be it.

“After the operation, I’ll get back into training, do six or eight months of training, make sure I’m injury free then get a fight booked in.

“I won’t hold back, I’ll just go for it.

“If I get back into it, it’s just going to be a case of ‘titles, titles, titles’, fight whoever, fight who’s there.

“I couldn’t care less about records.”

Flynn, whose current professional fight record reads 10 wins and two draws from 12 fights, had been due to fight last autumn but that contest was put off when he sustained a back injury.

He added: “I pulled my back and I had to go away in an ambulance. I couldn’t walk for about 10 weeks.

“I was on crutches for 10 weeks.

“Then it was my wedding after that (he married his sweetheart Amber last October) and obviously I couldn’t fight because of my injury.

“After that I took time out. I just couldn’t face it because of the amount of injuries. I was a bit depressed with it all.

“So I took about a year out. I said: ‘I’m not touching this’.

“I didn’t go to the gym for a year. It was only a wee while ago I started my running again and started getting a wee bit back into it.

“It’s a bit more complicated because I’m a married man with a child now (baby daughter Matilda was born in August), so it’s not as easy to say: ‘Right I’m going to the gym’.

“But all it takes is one year of boxing to get right back into title challenging, so it’s not a problem.”

Flynn revealed that he was inspired to get back into boxing recently after joining an elite coaching set-up with Boxing Scotland to bring through the next generation.

He has joined the organisation’s elite fighter programme in a mentoring role.

Flynn added: “I am trying to nurture the youngsters, look after them, train them and everything else. It started over a month ago and it’s been going really well.

“It was only when I got back in the gym training the younger ones that I realised I’d forgotten how much I loved it.

“Punching the bags, I thought I’d love to get back into this and get it going again.

“Life’s good and I’m glad I’m back in boxing after being out for a year.”

If Flynn does make a professional fight return, then he won’t be in any hurry to face old foe Ryan Collins.

The pair have fought twice, with both contests ending in controversial technical draws after Flynn sustained a horrific cut above his left eye in each fight after an almost identical clash of heads.

Flynn said: “I wouldn’t go near Ryan Collins. No disrespect to him, he’s not on my level, he never was.

“With the clash of styles I would just end up getting cut again. I don’t have any problems with Ryan but there would be no point fighting him again.”