THE tag of "the new Barry McGuigan" does not sit comfortably with Belfast's rising IBF Youth featherweight boss Martin Lindsay. "It's obviously a huge privilege but I don't read too much into it," says the modest 25-year-old university graduate, who has knocked up a perfect 11-fight slate since turning pro in December 2004.

"I've watched Barry's fights on video but he was before my time. Growing up, my boxing hero was Rocky [Balboa]!" If young Lindsay is yet to inspire the commotion McGuigan did whilst roaring to the WBA feather crown in the mid-1980s, he has certainly compiled an imposing CV since entering the sport aged nine.

"As a kid I lived in the same street as the Immaculata [ABC] gym in the west side of the city," recalls 5ft 7in Martin, an only child who still lives at home.

"Boxing was always around me. In January the club was awarded the prize of Ireland's best club, where I still train under [Gerry] ‘Nugget' Nugent. "All told, I won 97 of 112 amateur bouts and eight All-Ireland titles, including two at senior level. I also won the NABCs in England when I was 15 and a few golds at multi-nations.

"I boxed in the [2000] World Juniors in Hungary and lost in the quarters of the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games [to England's Mark Moran].

"But after I won the [2004] Irish senior title, the selectors expected us to turn up for squad training just a few days after Christmas. Myself, Alan Reynolds and Martin Rogan turned up a day late and consequently weren't entered for the Europeans in Croatia, which doubled as an Olympic qualifier. It caused a stink." A reprieve saw him attend the final Olympic qualifier in Sweden but he lost to a Pole, so Martin signed pro forms with long-term family friend John Rooney Jnr.

Progression has been stifled, though, with just 11 starts in 38 months, largely away from the media glare. Having halted three of his first five, Lindsay went to the cards in his next five before logging a first-round count-out last time. "In 2005 I broke my hand and I've had a couple of fights cancelled. Also, the transition from amateur to pro took a while," concedes Martin, who was preoccupied completing a Business Finance and Investments degree at the Ulster University, Coleraine. On the plus side, the Irish hope has faced cosmopolitan opposition - three Ukrainians, two Welshmen, two Mexicans, a Slovak, a Venezuelan, and a Canadian.

In addition to Great Britain, he has had four gigs in the Emerald Isle and three in Canada, including a 10-round triumph over Uriel Barrera (12-1 going in) to collect that IBF strap last October. All four stoppages came inside two rounds. "Martin's the complete package, a classy back foot boxer who can also punch the body and put a man away," says Rooney, himself an amateur with the Immaculata who once dropped a tight decision to Eamonn Magee. "In his pro and amateur career combined he's not had so much as a standing count. "If anything, Martin's a little bit too modest. When he blitzed the kid in Canada last time he didn't even raise his hands to celebrate. He's a lovely person... until he puts his leg over the rope!"

The 62-year-old "Nugget", the 2007 Irish amateur Trainer of the Year, adds: "I've trained five Irish senior champions but Martin's definitely the best. The minute I first saw him, I knew he had that wee bit extra, both the talent and the temperament. This is a pretty rough district but Martin's always been very quiet.

"Between the ropes he's a very shrewd operator - just does enough to win the rounds. But when push comes to shove, as he moves up in class he'll show he can really fight. He's got a very big following locally but I believe he's a better fighter away from home." We should certainly know more about the true extent of Lindsay's potential when he faces off with Scottish flier Paul Appleby. The fight, which doubles as a British eliminator and Celtic championship, has temporarily been delayed whilst the Ulsterman recuperates from having wisdom teeth extracted.

"I've watched Appleby fight a lot of times and he's a great wee boxer with a good amateur pedigree but he's not in the calibre of Lindsay," assesses manager Rooney.

"Paul's only 20 and needs to mature. Once Martin's mouth heals, we'll see him any time, anywhere. After that, we'd be ready to challenge [British boss] John Simpson, absolutely."

His fighter, though, refuses to take his eye off the immediate prize. "You can't get carried away," he cautions. "You have to take one step at a time because in boxing you never know. Just look at Bernard Dunne.

"Long term, I hope to mix in top company and win some major titles."