Barrhead’s Gary Rae is set to make his long-awaited return tomorrow night at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow - eight months after last stepping into the ring.

Rae’s last outing came on October 6 last year with the 30-year-old losing by unanimous decision to Motherwell’s Scott Allan in a bout for the then-vacant BBBofC Celtic bantamweight title.

A combination of medical costs, cancellations and commitments outside of the ring since then have all hampered Rae’s comeback with the Barrhead man admitting tomorrow night’s fight against Adam Hutchinson comes as somewhat of a relief.

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“I’m delighted to get the chance to finally get in the ring again and a bit relieved too,” Rae told Barrhead Sport. “After my last fight set for April was cancelled quite late on, I really started to feel like it wasn’t to be. I had paid a lot of money for my medical and I thought all that was going to waste as I couldn’t recoup it. I thought it might have been a sign not to get back in the ring but I knew deep down that it was just another setback that I would eventually overcome.

“I never let my head go down as I had made up my mind that I was going to continue boxing after my first defeat so I just got back to work at the gym again, put in the hard hours and here I am in the week of my comeback.”

On the wrong side of 30 and with almost a year out of the ring, getting back in there could be daunting for most but ‘Razor’ Rae is raring to go as he targets a convincing win to mark his comeback.

Barrhead News: The Barrhead fighter revealed he has his ‘old spark back’ as he prepares for his first fight in eight monthsThe Barrhead fighter revealed he has his ‘old spark back’ as he prepares for his first fight in eight months

He continued: “I feel like I have that old spark back. I actually can’t wait to get back in there. I’m excited as I know I will do the business. I’m in fight mode now which is something I’ve really missed. I’m feeling really sharp and strong and I’m ready to put on a show for everyone there.

“I’ve made a lot of improvements in my time out of the ring. I really have come a long way since my first loss.”

With thoughts of that first loss still lingering, Rae was keen to set up a sparring session with Allan for his own peace of mind, with the pair meeting in the ring last month - this time behind closed doors.

And while Rae, like most professional boxers, refused to divulge any details about that session, he did admit that, had he not fared well, he would have seriously considered his future in the sport.

He said: “I sparred with Scott last month but for me it was much more than a simple sparring session. I don’t like to talk too much about how sparring goes but if I felt like I struggled at all then I would have had to ask myself some serious questions. 

READ MORE: 'Razor' Rae counting down the minutes until April comeback

“Everything went really well, though, and I’m more confident than ever now. What that session did for me was confirm the loss was just a bad night. I needed to know for my own peace of mind that it was a one off, a freak occurrence if you will, and something that I hope will never happen again. 

“I think Anthony Joshua’s shock defeat in New York shows that everyone has off nights, even the guys at the very top of the sport.”
Ring walks for Rae v Hutchinson are scheduled for around 10pm.

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