The enormity of Aberdeen boxer Dean Sutherland’s title fight hit home when he saw his face emblazoned on a huge billboard at Madison Square Garden in New York.
A further indicator arrived when the Aberdonian appeared on a giant screen over the basketball court during a New York Knicks game.
A crowd of 20,000 basketball fans saw the advert for Sutherland’s WBC Continental Americas super-welterweight title clash with Callum Walsh.
Sutherland will face undefeated, defending champion Walsh in a headline title showdown at the legendary Manhattan venue on Sunday, March 16.
The defining fight of the 26-year-old Aberdeen boxer’s career to date will be broadcast live globally on UFC Fight Pass.
Ireland’s Walsh, from Cork, has successfully defended his title twice.
Sutherland on New York billboards
Southpaw Sutherland saw his name on 100ft-plus billboards during a trip to New York to promote his date with destiny.
He said: “Seeing myself on the billboard in New York was the first moment it actually felt real.
“That’s when it really hit home how big this title fight is.
“To walk beside the most iconic sports venue in the world and see my name and face up there in headlines on a billboard – that was when I realised : ‘Wow, what an opportunity’.
“The billboards are in multiple different sections of Madison Square Garden and turn in rotation.
“They set it up so that our billboard was isolated outside the venue while we did the photos and the face to face.
“Young kids and people were stopping as they realised it was for a big title fight – they wanted photos, which was really nice.”
Walsh backed by UFC chief Dana White
Walsh is trained by legend Freddie Roach, who coached eight-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao.
The Irish fighter is also managed by Tom Loeffler, who helped shape the careers of Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, as well as Gennady Golovkin, and UFC president and CEO Dana White is a big supporter.
Walsh initially won the belt with a ninth-round stoppage of Dauren Yeleussinov (Kazakhstan) at Madison Square Garden.
The prestigious WBC Continental Americas super-welterweight has previously been held by ring greats Julio Cesar Chavez and Jermell Charlo.
Hectic 27 hours in the Big Apple
Sutherland jetted into New York with coach Joe Ham Snr to promote the fight, with a frantic 27-hour stop-over.
He said: “I was in and out of New York in 27 hours.
“It was an unbelievable experience and proper celebrity stuff.
“It was a mad, mad trip as I saw all the promotional material at Madison Square Garden for the fight.
“Walsh did the promotional, side of it at the basketball.
“At Madison Square Garden on the Saturday we arrived, they had billboards up at half-time at the basketball with the New York Knicks.
“With the time difference and the jet lag, myself and my coach Joe were both up at about half-past-three in the morning.
“We arranged to meet at half-four to go out for a walk.
“We ended up doing for a 10-mile walk around New York.
“On the walk, we went through Central Park and did some of the tourist-y stuff.
“As it was so early in the morning, it was nice and quiet.
“Then we had a face to face with Callum Walsh outside Madison Square Garden, where they had arranged the billboards.
“After that there was a press conference in the Legends Room with different media outlets from the US, which was a great experience.
“Then it was a case of killing another couple of hours before heading to the airport to fly home.”
Sutherland focused on title glory
Sutherland boasts a professional record of 19 wins (seven stoppages) and only one defeat.
He has won multiple titles during a successful pro career, including the BBBofC Celtic, WBC International Silver and WBO Youth.
Following the initial awe of seeing his face on New York billboards, Sutherland accepts he has to block that razzmatazz out, and focus on one thing – beating Walsh to shake up world boxing.
He said: “I’m trying to focus on it being just another venue and fight night.
“It could be in Walsh’s backyard, absolutely anywhere. It doesn’t matter to me.
“I’m only going to New York with one job to do – and that is to take the belt home.”
Conversation