The few faces scattered around the place couldn't help but stare as each flash illuminated the room.

Are there any other landmarks around?

"Well there's a statue in the town centre."

How about popping down there for a couple more?

"Ah, it's in the middle of the road. Everybody would be looking. I wouldn't be into that now, wouldn't like that."

The follow-up questions are obvious. Here is a fighter that's being talked about as a possible British title contender, who became Irish Light Heavyweight Champion the last time out and who fights on the Bernard Dunne undercard in a raucous Point Depot for the second time in succession later today. All this and he's embarrassed by a little attention. But there's little point in asking. Each of the 17 professional fighters he's danced the canvas with have said he's deceptive . . . and away from the ring he's no different. In fact, he doesn't even like boxing.

"Well there are the odd bits of it I enjoy. Like the glory. Every boxer likes the glory. They like having their name called out and the referee hold up their hand.

And it's not something that's just for the ring. There's a personal satisfaction, that the work you put in has paid off. Even for a few weeks after when you come home you feel like somebody.

People come up to you in the street and they shake your hand and congratulate you and want to talk to you. They tell you this was a great punch or that was a good shot. For a while you are somebody.

"But there are huge sacrifices and life passes you by. It's as much in your head as the actual physical work because you miss out on important events just sitting at home because you have to take care of yourself.

You've to watch everything you do and at the end of the day you do it because of the purses, not because you enjoy it. Some of the purses are good, some aren't, but every little helps and that's why I do it. I'm just trying to make a better life for my family.

I've a son and daughter and wife and it's about making it better for them. But I'm 29 now and it's not something I want to be doing in 10 years time. . . It's not that I'm worried about being hurt by the way."

That's assumed. Those that don't know it are never scared.

Not once since he started out boxing as an 11-year-old has he been put down. Even before he was allowed near the local club, his older brother Sean who used him as a part-time sparring partner, full-time punching bag, had difficulty. In his first international bout as an amateur he found himself in the ring with Vasili Jirov, the Olympic gold medallist from Kazakhstan who would later become IBF Cruiserweight Champion. Naivety told McKay he could win but it was called off in three when his nose began to flow. Had that not happened, he admits, he probably wouldn't have made the final bell anyway. But he wouldn't have gone down.

He's never been down outside the ring either although he's been forced to take a standing count once or twice along the way. His pride means he's slow to talk about it. And when he does murmur about prison, his isn't the story of so many other prize fighters that grew because of time on the inside. "Ah, it was a street fight, somebody gets hurt.

That was it, no more to it. It was the son of some Ulster Unionist Party guy, it just happened, that was it, it was a night out. It was a once-off, it was a mistake. I went to court and I didn't know what to expect because this wasn't where I ever saw myself. It wasn't like me but it came out as a three-year sentence in a juvenile detention centre. I am quite a calm person and always was and here I am just before my 21st birthday. It was a huge shock at the time, but sure you learn. It becomes normal in there. Obviously you wouldn't recommend it, but you just get on with it. I worked in the gym inside and really it's just like having a job, only you can't go home to your family. You go home to your bed and there's nothing outside of it. It's not something I want to remember, and thankfully I was out in half time because of good behaviour and when I came out, most people knew in Banbridge I was a dead-on person so they didn't give me any grief. They understood a mistake was made and what had happened."

McKay may have worked in the gym but he never trained in it. Instead he thought of what might have been, about his treatment by the Ulster Council, and about missing out on the Commonwealth Games because of a moment of stupidity on his part and a moment of betrayal on theirs. "I just couldn't box. I won the Ulster title in Commonwealth year [1998] and the first thing that came into my mind was that this was it, I was automatically on the Northern Ireland team to go to Kuala Lumpur. The court case was just before I was due to go but I was brought off to Belfast and measured for a suit and all for the games. It was a really exciting time. My solicitor even had the court case put off because all that was going on and was taken into consideration. I was all set and at that age of course I'd begun to tell people where I was going, why I was going. Then I was dropped. I had to go back home and deal with my own disappointment and I felt a bit stupid and embarrassed having told everyone else. So when I went in I thought, why would I ever go back? What did I owe them?

They'd done the dirt on me."

He'd always said you should get out of boxing by the time you were 16 if you weren't good enough. But his logic told him he was plenty good, after all he had won more than he lost. He was never going to return to the haunting memories of the amateur game, so after four years away from the ring he went pro instead. Trained under Gerry Storey in the Holy Family club in Belfast. Got a deal with Barry Hearn. Started winning and couldn't stop. Then one night in a Leisure Centre in Hereford he fought Paul Buchanan. It looked to be another easy win after he dropped his opponent in the fifth.

But the referee held up Buchanan's hand. When the announcer checked the card, it was even, so the referee changed one of the numbers. He got suspended. But McKay was still beaten.

"It was a huge blow. Nowadays everyone expects you to have a perfect record. After that Barry lost his contract with Sky for a while and I went and signed for John Breen in Belfast. I could have given in again, but there's something inside boxers. I wanted to keep going. I still do.

"I'm told I can win a British title and I think I can. But I'm focused on Sunday. It's been hard because Matthew Macklin pulled out claiming sore ribs but I have my doubts. But I still gotta go in and beat Darren Rhodes. I don't like boxing but while I'm in it I might as well get somewhere with it."

CHANCE FOR DUNNE TO THRILL FANS AND MOVE CLOSER TO WORLD TITLE SHOT

EBU SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BERNARD DUNNE v YERSIN JAILAUOV
Point Depot, 8 Live RTE Two, 8,00

LAST Saturday Niall O'Brien looked to be guiding Ireland to a comfortable win against Pakistan in the cricket World Cup. With the underdogs fast closing in on their target, O'Brien smashed a six down the ground. The next ball he tried to do the same, got himself out and his side very nearly lost the match. What's this got to do with boxing, you ask? Well, Bernard Dunne was never going to make such a mistake. Having won his European title by beating Esham Pickering in the toughest of his 22 fights to date, a lesser opponent was next up, regardless of what offers and purses came pouring in. Often criticised in his career for taking the easy bout, the Neilstown man can be forgiven for it this time. He's hit a six, now he needs to stay at the crease.

That's where Yersin Jailauov comes in. The Kazakh fighter is an unknown quantity to most in the boxing world but be sure promoter Brian Peters knew plenty about him when arranging this title defence. He's here so Dunne can put on a show, thrill his ever-growing band of supporters and knock out the 29-year-old, while moving ever closer to a world title shot in the medium term.

Jailauov knows plenty about hitting the floor with his four defeats, contrasted by 19 wins, all by way of knock out. The only big name on his curriculum vitae to date is Michael Hunter who beat Jailauov in two this time last year while Colombian Franklin Teran . . . a-decent-but-not-outstanding fighter . . . had him down in six. Dunne's punching power has never been compared to Max Baer but it's up there with Teran and expect him to pummel his opponent before winning in similar time.

Verdict Dunne knock out in the sixth