Does this fighter have what it takes to put Welsh Boxing back on the map?

Ryan MacMillan is a rising light heavyweight who has had an incredible journey on his path towards the Welsh National Championship.

That path has seen him through the highs and the lows - walking through the fire of addiction, loss, crime, and redemption to reach his goal of bringing the pro boxing scene back to life in North Wales.

The Butcher of the North

Growing up without financial security, Ryan always had side-hustles to make some extra cash. At 12 he would pirate DVDs and sell them to whoever wanted them at his local pub.

He found a passion in MMA and Muay Thai but didn’t take it as seriously with his first run-in making fast money.

He led himself down a dark path of crime that ended up with him facing 30 months in jail. His first steps in freedom walked him to a butcher shop, where he worked while training for his first MMA fight - where he executed a knockout within 10 seconds of the first round.

The promise was something you couldn’t miss - he continued on, eventually fighting in the Muay Thai circuit. He was scheduled for a fight at 20-years-old, and when his opponent didn’t show up, they switched him to fight against a boxer who needed an opponent as well.

The switch may have been extremely last minute, but he hasn’t fought in MMA or Muay Thai since that day. A spark was ignited that he’d follow for the next decade and beyond.

However, even with his new found passion, MacMillan couldn't keep himself away from bad habits and old tendencies.

After being released from his second jail stint at 22, he met his partner and the mother of his children - he kept his head down, working at a pub to make ends meet and build his new family, all with a new dream in mind.

For the next eight years he built up his own boxing gym in Colwyn Bay, where he was the primary coach and personal trainer.

The name “Mac’s Gym” would grow slowly around North Wales, with over 70 members to look after as well as himself. Without a trainer, Ryan self-coached his way through the following years, paving a way through 30 unlicensed fights on his own.

His dedication was unwavering, he poured his focus into building himself, his gym, and his local boxing scene. He shook up the country with his professional-grade unlicensed bouts - Mac’s Gym would garner droves of fans in attendance to watch their up-and-coming countrymen have a chance under bright lights, pyrotechnics, and a professional atmosphere.

Throughout all of these years, the Welsh Amateur Boxing Organization (WABA) refused him an amateur license time and time again due to his personal background - he opted to attain it through England Boxing (formerly the ABAE). His first fight as a licensed amateur found him winning the entire Emerald Boxcup Tournament in Ireland - where both of his scheduled opponents pulled out, leaving him to face the reigning Boxcup Champion, starting and cementing his amateur record at 2-0.

His second had him facing Michael Osborne, turning Ryan’s record to 3-0, and making him finally eligible for the pros. Although he was chasing his dream, his family life at home was slowly slipping - he had to resort to staying in a small back-room in his gym, where he would train non-stop, showering with a watering hose behind the building. 

The fighter who learned boxing

MacMillan pressed on, stopping Dale Kellam via KO in the first round of his first professional bout live on talkSPORT. He was 29 now, and decided to move to Thailand for a few months - but what began as training in a warm paradise slowly began to morph into something much more sinister.

He was slipping back into his old ways, but this time on a more drastic level, losing himself to drugs and alcohol. A small glimpse of hope came in the shape of a call from a promoter from back home - he wanted Ryan to fight on DAZN.

The Butcher couldn't stay away from danger, and Thailand began to swallow him whole. Everything he’d been working for began to slip through his fingers, he got into major trouble and couldn’t leave the country - even with his next bout waiting for him.

He returned home only 10 days before the fight: tired and not fully in focus. Regardless of his condition, he managed to win the decision over Dylan Courtney, pushing his professional record to 2-0 before returning back East.

His finances dwindled while trying to survive in Thailand as well as provide for his family in the UK, he even ended up selling his beloved Mac’s Gym. While out east, he met one of Mike Tyson’s former trainers, Mike Passenier, who invited him to come train in Amsterdam.

He returned to Thailand for some weeks before relocating to the UK permanently only three weeks before his third professional bout. This time around, something drastically shifted.

Ryan went through a spiritual metamorphosis, realizing he wasn’t on the right path while dealing with the narratives being spread about him and his reputation in his community. None of it shook him, he continued on, steadfast with his faith and training, and earned a second round stoppage in his third professional bout.

Regardless of the victory, MacMillan still felt the heaviness from the state of his life. He needed to return to Thailand to tie up any loose ends, but when all was said and done, he made his final return.

He found a new gym, and for the first time in his entire boxing career, a proper coach and team. In his fourth pro fight, he stopped Marius Mihai Dumitru in the third round.  

The Butcher becoming The Phoenix

Ryan’s path has been far from conventional, far from ordinary, and far from safe. He’s been a nak muay farang, a criminal, a butcher, a prisoner, a father, and a coach - but the one title to truly define MacMillan is this: fighter.

MacMillan and his team struggled to find bouts at light heavyweight due to nobody wanting to fight him.

His next bout will be on February 28 at cruiserweight against Michael Osborne at BOXPARK Liverpool. He’ll be bringing over 250 Welsh fans to the bout, claiming that he’s never trained as hard for a fight before this. 

Ryan is known for finishing fights early, and he deliberately plans to make this next one last to prove his prowess and control, with the goal of attaining a KO victory in the later rounds. He wants to take this victory as a step on his path of being crowned with the light heavyweight Welsh Championship title.

For MacMillan, it’s more than a singular dream, he says, “The goal is to single handedly bring professional boxing back to North Wales and show everybody if he can do it, anybody can do it,” continuing,  ”We don’t have pro boxing around here, it’ll be history.”

The road has been rough, but the future looks extremely bright for The Butcher as he does what he seems to do best: Rise, and rise again. 

Sign up to DAZN Ultimate Tier to get PPVs included in your subscription 

Subscribe to DAZN's new Ultimate Tier to get a minimum of 12 PPV events included per year, including Wardley vs. Dubois (May 9), on top of another 185 fight nights. Plus Serie A football, watch on multiple devices, and many more extra benefits.

Sign up for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here.