For McDermitt super middleweight Derek Hinkey, the road back to potential stardom begins in earnest at Freeport Hall, in Dorchester, Mass., on May 17.
The 27-year-old Hinkey, 4-1 with 4 knockouts, will meet 36-year-old Richard "Bobo the Bull" Starnino, 8-3-1 (1), in his first fight back since suffering an upset knockout at the hands of Oakland's Tony Hirsch Feb. 22 at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino.
Hinkey, who against Starnino is scheduled to compete in his first six-round contest, was knocked down twice and stopped in the fourth round by Hirsch.
"The first three rounds, it didn't feel like I was there," Hinkey said on Monday. "In the fourth round, I said, 'All right, Hinkey, you've got to do it.' I always said that was the kind of fight I was looking forward to, where you've got to fight and put it on the line.
"It was a cartoon character-like punch that hit me. Amateur or professional, I'd never been on my back before."
Going into the fourth and final round, Hinkey appeared to need a knockdown against Hirsch in order to preserve his unbeaten record. But, after Hinkey looked to get his opponent's attention with a wicked body shot, it was he who walked into a big punch.
"I got up and was ready to rock and roll, do it again," Hinkey said of his reaction. "I didn't think I was hurt. I don't know if he hit me or pushed me on my butt, but the referee (Reno's Vic Drakulich) waived his hands. He didn't give me a chance to fight.
"I want everyone to know I was going to get up and rock and roll again. I was ready to fight. But I should've never let it get to that point. I should've outboxed him. No excuses."
Hinkey said he is a slow starter, in spite of ending his fights with Patrick Sierra, Cedric Howard, Jovanni Rubio and Ray Craig inside the four-round distance, and that the scheduled four-rounder with Hirsch didn't work in his favor.
"I definitely want to see this guy (Hirsch) later on down the road," Hinkey said. "I have no bad feelings for this guy. At the end of the day, it was my ego - my machismo - that was the deal breaker.
"He definitely had fear in his corner. When we came out for the fourth round, he said, 'Great fight.' To him, he was just happy to still be fighting. He knows, between me and him, I could totally destroy him. Everything had to be perfect for that (knockout) to happen. Hopefully, that loss made me a smarter fighter."
That much figures to at least be partially revealed in Hinkey's bout with Starnino, who is coming off a two-round technical knockout loss to Eric Pinarretta in January. Starnino, of Providence, R.I., has never defeated a fighter with a record above .500, although he did have a four-round draw with Martin Thornton, then 6-1, in 2004.
"He's a southpaw, he's 5-foot-7, 5-9, that's about all I know," the 6-1 Hinkey said when asked what he knew about his upcoming opponent, who figures to have a hometown crowd behind him. "This is the game I chose. I can't always fight in Reno. I've got to go out and do this. Whether it's in his backyard or his bedroom, we're going to box."
Hinkey said his sparring for this fight has been better than it was for Hirsch, pointing to his Monday session with former IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd as evidence.
He said Byrd has dropped down to 185 pounds.
"I looked over at Chris Byrd and said, 'You're kidding me, right," Hinkey said. "I will say, as of today, he's the best fighter I've ever faced. His hand speed is ridiculous for a big man. Today I felt like I learned something."
Hinkey is training under Kenny Adams in Las Vegas and said in addition to sparring between six and eight rounds, he has been working on returning to patiently setting up his opponent before unleashing with his power punches. He said against Hirsch, he felt like he needed to be more aggressive.
"When we were in the hallway, Kenny said to Hirsch, 'Bring your pillow; you're going to sleep," Hinkey said. "In my mind, I was going in to fight. I like to start boxing. When these guys begin to reach, you make them pay. If you don't box, anything can happen. And it did happen."
Hinkey said he'd gained another insight.
"I don't know who said it - I think it was Bruce Lee - but it goes, 'An oak tree stands tall, big and strong, but eventually breaks over time,'" Hinkey said. Translation: Be flexible and don't stand directly in front of an opponent.
Against Starnino, Hinkey will also be looking to show he can go the two extra rounds.
"It's not a problem," he said. "Before this fight I was talking to (his promoters, Terry and Tommy Lane, of Let's Get It On) about getting more rounds. Against Hirsch, I just started feeling good in the third and fourth rounds."
If all works out for Hinkey against Starnino, he will appear on the undercard of Jesse Brinkley-Jason Naugler at the Reno Ballroom on June 13.
"That's kinda what I'm looking for - to stay active," Hinkey said. "If I'm healthy, fighting every other weekend would be cool for me."
For now, however, Hinkey's journey will begin with this first step against Starnino.
Note: Carson lightweight Mike Peralta, 3-2 (1), will fight in his first six-rounder when he meets Javier "Pelos" Garcia, 3-0-1 (3), of Oxnard, Calif., Friday in Albuquerque, N.M.
Reno lightweight Jackson Bussell fought to a six-round draw with the 19-year-old Garcia Sept. 20 at Sagebrush Cantina, in Calabasas, Calif., but died the next day from brain injuries he suffered in the bout.
Peralta is set to marry his fiancee, Desiree Martinez, on Aug. 8, in Carson City.