Patrick Hyland In Training, The Itch To Get Scratched

His last outing occurred July 16, 2016. That was the end of the road for Patrick Hyland, of the fighting family, a proud pugilist repping Dublin, Ireland, who owns a 31-3 (15 KOs) mark after going pro in 2004.

That one, versus Josh Warrington, shows up as an L on BoxRec, same as the fighter before that one, against Gary Russell Jr. When he hung up the mitts, there were no heavy reservations for Hyland, whose brothers Paul and Eddie also gloved up in the paid ranks.

The timing to cease in-ring action felt right, he’d lost two straight—-to top level practitioners, yes, but…—and Patrick Hyland felt heavily the absence of his dad, who in June 2015 took his own life after warring with depression.

The Snooki times were a blast. But at present, there's an itch to serve. To see if he can dive back in, fight and finish his career with an uptick.

Patrick Hyland Has Been Staying Fit, and Training Like A Pro

Hyland soldiered on, in that transitional time of his life, and I’d see him looking happy and healthy on social media.

That didn’t mean he didn’t have thoughts.

No secret to the doers or us longtime fans—the itch infects most all.

I noted that it looked to me that the itch had gotten heavy into Hyland, who turned 40 in September. Is he contemplating comeback, or just joshing, I wondered.

So I asked…

The answer is yes, Patrick Hyland is indeed training with eyes to coming back into the active fighter sphere. “I want a few domestic fights, if it leads to something that’s a plus,” he told me. “Wife ok with it, my boys would love it,” he said, chuckling. “I’m always training fire is in the belly for a few more!” That's Lorna, Callum (8), Hudson (6) and Rosie (6 months) he's referring to, by the way.

I can attest, the guy never looked like he got even into junior middleweight range after retiring from combat.

Patrick Hyland left me a voice message, summarizing some of the thinking going into this decision. I cracked up hearing that accent, “How the ‘ell are ya?”

ESPN NY Fightblog saw the Hyland/Snooki mashup, it was brief but sweet. Now, Patrick's looking to give it a go, going out on better terms. His mind is clear, his body's cooperating…and his wife and kids are on board, he reports.

He’s in Dublin, with fam, after a stint seeing the state the American Dream. “I’ve had the itch the last couple of years,” Patrick Hyland explained. “The last couple of months has really gotten me wanting to get back into the ring.”

He’s been staying quite fit, playing soccer, still sparring, still sometimes putting foes down with body shots.

His last year or so of fighting, it wasn’t optimal. His father dying affected him, he acknowledged, and two losses…yeah, there’s an element of wanting a different “ending.”

Patrick Hyland Has Eyes Set On Irish Title, Being the Oldest To Get One

A domestic fight, in February or March, to get the ball rolling again. Then an Irish title, he’d like to be the oldest to do it, at 40. “That’s me goal, that’s me plan, it’s all about how the body holds up, at 40. I’m a young 40, never been battered around the ring, had really hard fights…I don’t look back and say, I shoulda, coulda, woulda. There’s something there I need to get out of me, for my mental health, for everything. I’m excited! It’s always good to hear from ya, brudder,” Patrick Hyland said, in signing off.

I feel the same.

Always wishing the best for all these Hylands. Patrick Hyland knows that’s so because I stopped pestering him about when the Hyland Boxing reunion with Snooki Boxing is happening.