WARRINGTON warrior Sean McFarlane has come out of retirement for the biggest challenge of his fighting career.

McFarlane thought his fighting days were over – until bareknuckle bosses handed him a shot at a ‘Prizefighter’ tournament that offers a £10,000 prize to the winner.

Eight super-middleweights have been picked to fight it out for the prize money and a shot at the world championship.

McFarlane meets Ricardo Franco at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, with the winner going through to the semi finals in March.

The winner will be crowned in June and by the end of the year, they will get a shot at world honours.

“I retired last March,” admitted 37-year-old McFarlane.

“I put on weight and it’s been an achievement to get back down to 13 stones.

“It’s going to be a step up from what I’ve been doing.

“The fighters have improved a lot since I started bareknuckle boxing.

“I know it’s going to be really tough. But if you don’t want to get hit and want to pick and choose who you fight, don’t become a bareknuckle boxer.”

READ > Bolton to stage 2019 Coral Challenge Cup semi-finals double header with a twist

McFarlane is a good bareknuckle boxer, losing only once, to pound-for-pound king Jimmy Sweeney.

“That loss affected me for a while,” admitted McFarlane. “I like to win, I really don’t like losing.

“The money is good in ‘Prizefighter,’ but to me, it’s all about winning.”

READ > The men behind shocking drug and gun case who are now serving 185 years in jail

McFarlane has been fighting – and winning – most of his life.

Born in Liverpool, he moved with his family to Hood Manor when he was 10 years old.

“I had two older brothers and a younger sister, and we became a target,” he said.

“We were a big family of Scousers and everyone wanted to have a pop at us.

“I tried to fight everyone by myself – and it got really bad.”

McFarlane switched to Sir Thomas Boteler High School and says life improved.

As a teenager, he was taught the boxing basics by his father and at Hook and Jab ABC, and at 18 he joined The Army.

McFarlane represented the Royal Engineers in boxing matches during his five-year spell in the Army and when he left, he joined the busy unlicensed circuit.

He has been successful, but he does not have the boxing background that some of his ‘Prizefighter’ rivals have.

McFarlane said: “I haven’t had 70 or 80 amateur fights like some of the others.

“But I’ve got a big heart. I can take punches and keep coming. No matter how hard they hit me, I keep coming.

“I’ve been fighting all my life – ever since I started school – and I like a war, I like a battle.”

The show on Saturday night is available to buy on pay-per-view on TVX Pay Per Night, Sky Channel 900, from 7.0pm.