Sutherland confident he can beat the system

A RECENT haircut helps accentuate the gaunt features and steely eyes of a man who might have been to hell and back — and is prepared to go the route again.

Darren Sutherland may well have to follow that familiar path when he takes on Alfonso Blanco from Venezuela for a place in the quarter-finals of the world championships in Chicago in the early hours of tomorrow morning (1.30am Irish time).

A place in the quarter finals will guarantee qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, but a treasure chest of riches could await the 26-year-old Dubliner as the professional ranks beckon.