London calling: Walsh backs O’Neill to seal 2012 medal
This week, O’Neill launches the defence of his middleweight crown when the national senior championships commence at the National Stadium with double sessions each weekend ahead of the finals in March (5-6).
And Walsh doesn’t disguise his admiration for the champion.
“If you were to ask me who I would single out as our best medal prospect for London 2012 right now then I would have to say it is Darren (O’Neill),” Walsh said. “Let’s face it, he is one of the most experienced campaigners that we have. He is right up there among the best in the world.” O’Neill is relishing a return to the ring but revealed he would have preferred to have the championships held over a single week as was the case 2008. However he accepted the three-weeks format has encouraged more entries.
“I’m told that there were 15 entries at 75kg up to yesterday and that’s a good thing,” O’Neill said. “If they were held in January as Billy Walsh and his coaches would have preferred I don’t think we would have had as many entries as people who enter just for the experience of boxing the championships might not be too willing to train over the Christmas period. But I can see Billy’s point. He would have more time to get the squad ready for the European championships in Moscow at the beginning of June.”
Those championships will provide O’Neill with an opportunity to redeem himself after crashing out in the preliminary rounds in Liverpool two years ago. He said: “It was a big disappointment. I moved up to 81kgs for that and there was really no need for me to do so.
“On reflection it was not totally unexpected because I had been out with injury for much of that year. But it was disappointing as I had done well at the previous Europeans when I got to the quarter-finals and a bit of inexperience cost me a medal.”
Last year he came off injury for the world championships in Milan and had three fights before losing to Adranki Hakobyan from Armenia who went on to win silver.
“I was pleased with that coming from where I was,” he said. “Injuries have been a problem over the years. I broke my thumb preparing for the championships, I broke my ankle and I still have problems with bruised bones in my right hand but that is something I have learned to live with. Apart with the problem with the bruised bones I have had a relatively clear stretch in the lead up to those championships. Obviously, looking at the big picture, London 2012 is my focus but to get there I have to keep winning Irish titles.”
Defending flyweight champion and EU silver medallist, Declan Geraghty, has had to pull out of the championships because of a hand injury, Billy Walsh has confirmed.
Meanwhile World and European lightweight champ Katie Taylor will take part in the Usti Nad Labem Multi Nations in the Czech Republic next month. The Bray woman has been named in a two-strong squad along with Drimnagh BC middleweight Sinead Kavanagh for the tournament.
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