A message to all professional boxing hopefuls in Portsmouth – ‘you don’t have to leave the city to make it big’

And the 'Pompey Problem's' father and trainer, Michael Ballingall, says it's proof professional boxers do not have to leave the city in order to reach the highest level in the sport.

Admittedly, McKinson, 26, has had to rise up the ranks the hard way, but he's now got his big shot after agreeing a fight with fellow unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo for the WBO Global title at Wembley Arena on Saturday, March 6.

McKinson, boasting an unblemished 19-0 pro record, will have the eyes of a city he is proud to represent glued to the Sky Sports Box Office cameras on the Dillian Whyte v Alexander Povetkin II undercard in a little more than five weeks.

Apart from a brief stint in Belfast at the start of his professional career, McKinson has lived, trained and fought predominantly out of his home city, building up a large following in the process.

And Ballingall believes he is showing boxers looking to make it to the top of the sport they do not have to leave Portsea Island if they wish to do so.

‘Michael is a product of Portsmouth boxing,' said Ballingall.

‘Obviously, he started his pro career over in Ireland but he’s a Portsmouth boxer.

‘He’s always been based, the majority of the time, in his hometown.

‘It’s just a message to all the amateur trainers and up-and-coming pro boxers that you can get there from your own town.

‘You don’t to have to go to these big places and live and stuff like that.'

Ballingall is the one of the most recognised training and promoting names within the city.

Alongside fellow trainer Miles Harding and Gav Jones, they have a stable of real promise which includes McKinson and his English lightweight mandatory challenger brother Lucas Ballingall.

But Michael Ballingall insists there's a lot more potential on the professional Pompey boxing scene that have not yet had the chance to show just what they can do.

He added: ‘We can do it here, I’m not just talking about myself, there are a lot of great trainers out there who haven’t had the opportunities to show how good they are with their fighters.

‘We can do it in our own town, we’re a proud fighting town in the south, and we don’t need to move away to do this if we have the discipline and the right mindset.'