Wayne McCullough's boxing career is back on track. Yesterday, his promoter, Mat Tinley, confirmed that they had signed a new contract which would get the Belfast fighter back into the ring on April 17th. After that, Tinley suggested that McCullough would recover the WBC super-bantamweight title and then stage two Irish-based defences of his title, one in Belfast's King's Hall and the other in Dublin.

Tinley also said that it was his ambition to set up a match between McCullough and Naseem Hamed, the dual featherweight title holder, at some time in the future, with the winner getting a purse of $2 million.

"I want to make it clear that Wayne and I have never fallen out. We have had a problem about our contract, but that has been sorted out. We have solved our differences in regard to that matter and we are determined to put his boxing career back on the road and, eventually, get a real money-winning fight between Wayne and Hamed. "I have no doubt about the outcome of that fight. Hamed's performance against Kevin Kelly in his last fight showed how vulnerable he is and I believe that Wayne would prosper on that aspect of his weakness. Nobody can deny the fact that Wayne is a really tough guy. He showed that as an amateur and as a professional. "I know that this is part of his character. He is a stubborn little b...... but he has to be. He is a real fighter. We have a lot of respect for each other and I believe that he can get back the WBC title and that the fight between him and Hamed in London and Dublin would need a huge stadium like Croke Park or Lansdowne Road to cope with the crowd," Tinley said.

McCullough was unwilling to comment on his future when contacted at his Las Vegas home last night. "I am saying nothing apart from what I said to the people who did the UTV (Ulster Television) programme on me. They came out here and did a programme and anybody who wants to know what is in that programme will have to watch it," he said. Earlier Mat Tinley told The Irish Times that "a deal had been sorted out" between him and McCullough. "What we have to sort out now is the arrival of Wayne and Cheryl's baby, which is due next month. The baby was booked in before any fight and that takes total precedence. "Wayne and I have a new agreement. I have told Wayne that he will not benefit in any way above and beyond the terms of the previous agreement. The only difference is the fact that he wants to fight on a regular basis in Ireland and I have agreed to that in our new agreement.

"I believe that the difficulties which we have had will make both of us stronger, Wayne in particular. He is hungry to get his title back and I believe that he can do that some time in the summer, preferably in Ireland," Tinley said.

The new agreement between Tinley and McCullough will give Irish professional boxing a boost at a time when it is in decline. The retirement of Steve Collins has robbed the professional game of much of its credibility, although the possibility of his return to action cannot be ruled out pending the resolution of the court case between Collins and Barry Hearn.

Information about Michael Carruth's future is expected to emerge quite soon, but the revival of Wayne McCullough's career after a brief problem is the most welcome news for some considerable time.

Mark Winters will make the first defence of his British light-welterweight title against former Commonwealth champion Bernard Paul of Tottenham on February 21st at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

Winters replaces Commonwealth cruiserweight champion Darren Corbett as the main attraction.