I’m going into the deep end, declares fearless Paddy Barnes

Paddy Barnes is keen to silence his doubters when he returns to the ring this summer at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall.

The three-time Olympian will co-headline a June 17 fight card, alongside fellow Belfast native Jamie Conlan, with Barnes competing for his first professional title — the WBO European flyweight belt — in just his third professional bout.

Romanian Silvio Olteanu (16-11-1) will be in the opposite corner and Barnes believes the former European champion and world-title challenger will bring out the best in him after two lacklustre performances in his first couple of paid bouts.