Victorious Sutherland turns focus to Beijing
“That’s why it was vital for me to win the hat-trick of titles at this year’s (national) championships,” he said. “Because this is going to be my last year as a national amateur. I did not want to go out on a bad note. If I can get to the Olympic Games now, that will be the icing on the cake.”
As a power puncher, who likes to get involved, he is regarded by many experts as a readymade pro and his decision is sure to attract interest.
He was speaking after winning his third successive national senior middleweight title in a thrilling final with Darren O’Neill (Paulstown).
“Darren was great,” he said. “It takes two people to make a great fight. I know there are people out there disappointed but that is how it goes. I won fair and square. A lot of people were expecting him to do me over.
“I’ve never seen the Stadium as packed as that for a senior championships since I have been involved with Irish boxing. The papers hyped it up big time. I think a lot of them kind of forgot about me.
“I could hear the crowd. I knew Darren had more support than me there. I could feel the crowd getting intense when he was going ahead. I knew it. “Then when they started getting a bit quiet I knew I was starting to come back into it. I have a great corner, a great team — so relaxed — they were talking to me, telling me to relax and just enjoy it because I was trying to get myself up for it. I felt so calm, so relaxed and so confident. I needed to get that little bit of a kick — that bit of menace — and it just started to come out in round 2.”
Darren O’Neill was disappointed with the result but delighted with the fight’s atmosphere and the tremendous support he got on the night.
“Darren’s style is that of a fighter and I am a boxer,” he said. “For the first two rounds I was feinting to him — bringing him on to me — and I was catching him as he was coming in. But with Darren’s pressure style there was always the danger that there would be a stage where I would lose concentration and I lost it — for 30 seconds, that is all it was — 30 seconds and he got in and hit me with a few shots.
“But that was a great fight. I was delighted. I had great support from everyone out there. It meant a lot to me. This has been building up for weeks and I am glad that the fight lived up expectations and that it was not a let down — a load of hype about nothing — it was a great fight. Nobody could doubt that. As Darren said in the ring, it was a championship fight. There was boxing, fighting, big punches, fast punches — skill and the power in there.”
