A SCOTS tiling instructor has left his day job behind, as he is set to make his Commonwealth debut at this year’s Games.
Edinburgh-based bantamweight boxer Matthew McHale takes his place with Team Scotland at this year’s Commonwealth Games being held in Birmingham.
The 26-year-old’s day job involves helping people start new careers in tiling with Edinburgh company Trades Training School, whilst most of his spare time is taken up with boxing at Lochend Gym.
Recently Matty’s career has taken off under the watch of head coach Terry McCormack.
A member of Boxing Scotland’s team, Matty competed at the World Championships in October last year, and at the European Championships in May.
Like Matty, Trades Training School owner Antony O’Neil also has a passion for boxing and the pair first met in 2016 at Lochend Gym.
Antony went on to become one of Matty’s local business sponsors, and in 2018 Matty joined Trades Training School as a training assistant.
Since then, Matty has become a qualified tiling instructor whilst continuing his boxing training with the full support of his work colleagues.
Antony said: “Recruiting Matty has been one of the best decisions I’ve made.
“Matty has managed to balance his boxing training with his teaching career and has excelled in both.
“He’s a respected instructor at the school, however, we’ll all be delighted to see his boxing career take over.”
The team at Trades Training School say they have been rooting for Matty over the last year as his boxing career has taken off.
Staff and students stop everything to watch his matches live, and four members of staff are travelling to Birmingham to support him at the games.
Matty spoke on the support, saying: “I’d like to give a massive thanks to Antony for everything he’s done for me.
“I work with supportive people who want to see each other do well, and I take great pleasure in teaching and passing on the skills Antony taught me.
“It’s really hard juggling my boxing with work, but this is made a hundred times easier with the supportive team around me.”
Earlier this summer Matty attended a training camp in Madrid and was recently in Sheffield at the multi-nations camp preparing for the Games.
From there Matty made his way to the athletes’ village, where he will box his first rounds tomorrow.
