Darren O’Neill stepping up in style

Boxers represent Ireland’s best hope of medals at the European Games which began in Baku last night.

Prior to our meeting across the road from the National Stadium, where he has just finished a training session, the last time I had spoken to Darren O’Neill was when he had just finished a live multilingual interview on TG4 after annexing a fifth national senior title.

It wasn’t a pretty picture but must have made for brilliant TV. He had so many gashes on his head and face that viewers could have been forgiven for thinking the station’s budget had been blown on special effects.