BOXING: Former WBC bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough will step into the ring next month in what will be the second bout of the third phase of his staccato boxing career.McCullough has had two extended breaks, the first following a suspected adverse brain scan which transpired to be harmless and the second following his defeat by Glasgow's Scott Harrison 18 months ago.

Having proved he can still succeed in the ring following a victory over Mike Juarez in California in September, McCullough has also gained a place in the WBC's top-10 rankings in the featherweight division. The win over Juarez, a rare second-round knockout, was the 27th victory of his career.

Following that successful step, the former Irish silver medallist at the 1992 Olympics was launched straight back into the rankings, largely on the strength of his impressive track record.

Notwithstanding the beating he took in Glasgow, McCullough's standing remains high in the sport and he now hopes to have a second fight scheduled for early December, possibly on a card featuring James Toney.

Now promoted by Dan Goosen, who was the first to take on the Irishman when he turned professional following the Barcelona Games, McCullough's ranking could put him on a collision course with the reigning WBC champion In Jin Chi of South Korea.

While his preferred route to what could be a second World title would be at super bantamweight, the Las Vegas-based fighter has made it clear to Goosen to keep all options open.

As usual his ambitions remain high and McCullough is aiming for a shot at a world title next summer, which would be a decade after he won his first title in Nagoya, Japan.

Freddie Roach, the renowned trainer of Dublin featherweight Bernard Dunne, is in McCullough's corner for the first time.