Sean McGoldrick is hoping to kickstart his journey towards titles when he makes his long-awaited return against Stephen Jackson on Friday's MTK Fight Night event at York Hall in London.

This week’s card will be broadcast live in the US on ESPN+ in association with Top Rank and worldwide on IFL TV, and is headlined by a WBO Global super-featherweight title fight between Archie Sharp (20-0, 9 KOs) and Alexis Boureima Kabore (28-4, 7 KOs).

McGoldrick (10-1, 3 KOs) is back for the first time since March 2020, and the proud Welshman, who won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is delighted to return.

McGoldrick said: "I can’t wait. It's been a long time but it’s good to be back. It's been a frustrating year but it has been for everyone and there’s been a lot of people worse of, so I’m lucky. I’ve stayed in the gym, stayed focused and I’m just looking forward to the fight now.

"I’m made up to get on to this packed card, and at York Hall as well, so I'm very grateful. Now I just want to stay active and start pushing on for titles to see where this journey takes me. I know what I want, and I'll do everything I can to get there.

"The gym is on fire at the moment. Pretty much all of us have got dates and we all push each other on. It's been a really good atmosphere like it always is here. When it comes to graft day, the people next to you are pushing as hard as they can and that drives each of us on.

"I need to say a big thank you to all of my fans for supporting me and sticking with me too. I've had three fights cancelled where they would have been there to watch me and it’s fallen through last minute, so I really am grateful for their support."