Icon Dunne makes the right call

“AFTER a lot of thought and reflection the time has finally come to bring my career as a professional boxer to an end.”

They were probably the words Bernard Dunne’s legion of fans never wanted to hear but to those of us who were close to him throughout both his amateur and professional careers, they were welcome.

Dublin’s favourite son had taken his faithful followers to incredible heights on an incredible journey. The peak was at the O2 on March 21 of last year when he dragged himself off the floor twice to strip the game Panamanian, Ricardo Cordoba, of his world title.

Dunne had realised his childhood dream and, no matter what happened after that or how many fights he would win, that night would never be surpassed for drama, excitement and emotion.

But one thing that emerged from the sheer brutality of the occasion – boxers get hurt. Cordoba was whisked to hospital after collapsing in his corner and Dunne, too, was taken to Blanchardstown for observation.

If further evidence of the danger involved was needed it came six months later when Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym, a thunderball from Thailand, put the champion on the floor three times before French referee, Jean Louis Legland, stopped the contest and sent an eerie silence across Dublin’s Docklands.

From that moment opinions were divided and I was among those who hoped that Bernard Dunne would give serious consideration to retirement.

He had done it all and I was privileged to follow him all the way from the time he emerged from Peter Perry’s nursery at the CIE boxing club on the aptly-named Granite Terrace to win three Irish senior titles through his victory over Esham Pickering for the vacant European super-bantamweight title to the world title.

His hard-earned victory over Cordoba came at a price and the punishment he endured at the hands of Kratingdaenggym, the man nobody wanted to fight, highlighted the fact that bravery counts for little and a boxer can only take so much.

Bernard Dunne owes nothing to himself or his amazing band of followers. He lived the dream and he thrilled the fans and now he walks away with all his faculties intact.

No matter what he does from here on, he will be successful. He has all round talent, charisma and eloquence and he will never be far from the limelight.

It was always going to be a difficult decision and it had to be right. He owed that to his wife Pamela, children Caoimhe and Finnian, his parents, to Brian Peters who mapped out the perfect course for him, Harry Hawkins who took him all the way and the loyal sponsors who stood by him through thick and thin but, above all, he owed it to himself.

Brian Peters summed it all up very well when he said: “As Bernard’s manager throughout his career we’ve enjoyed an incredible roller-coaster journey that has been shared by the nation and Bernard is retiring safe in the knowledge that he has established himself as an Irish sporting icon.”