By Shaun Brown

From the outside looking in, Belfast’s Martin Lindsay 17-1 (6) has watched his old British featherweight title change hands twice since John Simpson ripped it away from him in an enthralling encounter last December.
 
Since then the 29-year old has had a ten-month period of inactivity thanks to the usual suspects that are injury, promotional issues, call-offs, throw into the mix getting married and Lindsay has become the forgotten man of a domestic division he once ruled.
 
“It’s not like I’ve been doing nothing,” said Lindsay. “I was going to fight in March but I tore a ligament in my ankle that put me out for six weeks. I was then due to fight in June but my contract was up with (Frank) Maloney. Regardless, I’m always in the gym.”
 
Lindsay was due to fight on the undercard of a Martin Rogan show this month but cancellations by the WBU and then an ankle injury suffered by his fellow countryman postponed any hopes of a comeback.
 
So for the moment Lindsay waits patiently for his chance in a queue that already contains the likes of former champion Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith and potential champion in waiting ‘Genius’ Joe Murray.
 
“I’m ready to fight now. I could take a fight at a few weeks notice at the moment; I’d take a title fight at the drop of a hat, especially a crack at the European title.”
 
“I’m a free agent right now so a fight with me can be easy to make,” said Lindsay in an almost come and get me message to promoters. “Maloney wanted to tie me in for another year but the contract didn’t suit. I didn’t want the chance to miss out on the kind of shows that Paul McCloskey’s doing,” he confessed.

“I am speaking to a couple of people right now so I’m confident I’ll be out before the end of the year.”
 
Until then he and every other contender will watch with interest when Lee Selby defends his British and Commonwealth titles against one of the hardest tests out there in John Simpson. Selby sprung to the top of the pile with a sensational knockout victory over Stephen Smith in September, a result few predicted. But Lindsay had some words of advice for the Welshman ahead of his first defence.
 
“He’s gonna have to fight a different against Simpson to the one he did against Smith. I don’t know what was wrong with Smith that night he fought Selby. But Simpson will try to draw Selby into a war; he wants you to engage and to get involved.”
 
And what of the decision loss that Lindsay dropped to Simpson last December? Did rumours of illness hamper his performance?
 
“I did have a bad bout of the flu a few weeks beforehand but that’s not an excuse. I’m definitely over the result but that’s not to say that one day I wouldn’t like to rectify it.”
 
A devastating knockout over the much fancied Derry Mathews in 2008, a British champion one fight later in 2009, Lindsay was then tipped as a world title challenger to then IBF champion Cristobal Cruz when he defeated Paul Appleby for his first major honour. Now, the boxing career of Martin Lindsay has taken a few large steps back since late last year. But when fit, healthy and on form he is a much needed and dangerous addition to the featherweight ranks.