Griffin takes fresh swing in pro ranks

PAUL GRIFFIN will re-launch his boxing career under the management of Brian Peters, already directing the careers of two other Dubliners, Bernard Dunne and Jim Rock.

Griffin created a sensation when he won the featherweight gold medal at the European championships in Gothenburg in 1991, bridging a gap stretching back to 1949 when Maxie McCullough won gold in Oslo. Two years later he won a bronze medal in Bursa and he had already been singled out for stardom when he joined the professional ranks in 1995.

He notched 14 victories before suffering his first defeat at the hands of Tomas Jansson in Helsinki but his professional career never reached the heady heights he scaled as an amateur.

Now the 34-year-old Dubliner, after a stint in Australia where he admits boxing did not figure at the top of his agenda, wants to put the record straight and Brian Peters feels he can do it with proper direction.

“But Paul can’t afford to waste time and he knows that,” said Peters. “I’ll be keeping him busy over the coming months and a slot on national television should lift his profile considerably.

“The fact of the matter is that he is one of the best amateur boxers this country has ever produced. I think that is reflected in two European medals. But, despite 21 victories from 23 fights, his pro career never really ignited.

Griffin himself admitted that life passed him by during his five years spent in Australia. He has some catching up to do and he is prepared to work at it.

“I never had the hunger to fight in Australia,” he admitted. “In fact the only reason I ended up boxing there again was because I found out I could extend my working visa by having a few fights.

When he returned to Dublin he found that the boxing scene was alive and buzzing again due in no small measure to the likes of Bernard Dunne.

“I’d never really lived like a professional should but since coming home I’ve really got my head down and it is showing in my boxing,” he said. “I’ve lived like a monk and I am in the best shape of my life. I am putting the work in and living the life a professional boxer should live. Hopefully I’ll start to reap the rewards soon.

“Brian’s been great to me and I am delighted to be working with him.

“In the latest edition of Boxing News they have me ranked seventh at featherweight in Britain and a couple of good wins can improve that still further.”

His next fight is scheduled for London next month and negotiations are ongoing for a place on the bill for the title fight involving Bernard Dunne in Dublin in October.