Confident Sutherland bids for first senior title

DARREN SUTHERLAND became something of a celebrity when he fought his way to the world amateur boxing championship quarter-finals in China just over a month ago.

However, if you met him today you’d hardly recognise him.

All that will change over the coming weeks when he bids to claim his first national senior title for, while he admits that he won’t be underestimating any opponent, there appears to be no-one who can deny him.

The middleweight title has been the property of Andy Lee for three years. Sutherland lost to the Limerick southpaw in the semi-finals in 2004 and, before that, he lost to John Duddy at the same stage of the tournament.

Duddy is now a successful professional in the US, while Lee is about to embark on what should be an exciting journey into the paid ranks. Apart from his high-profile visit to China in November, Sutherland has won a number of Irish titles at under-age level, including an intermediate and two U-21 titles.

Around those achievements is a remarkable story. He left school after completing his Junior Cert and joined Brendan Ingle’s stable in Sheffield.

“I wanted to be a professional straight away,” he said.

“Then I became a little disillusioned - thought I had made a mistake - and came back home to complete my studies. I studied for my Leaving Cert at St Peter’s in Dunboyne, passed the exam and got high points. I sat the Leaving Cert in a school uniform at 22 years of age.”

He was accepted for Sports Science at DCU and his studies remained a priority until he got involved in Professor Niall Moyna’s magnificent sports programme at the college. And, before long, the National Stadium were looking for him.

High Performance Director, Gary Keegan was looking for somebody to replace Andy Lee and he saw Sutherland as a possibility. He sent him off to a multi-nations tournament in Russia and when he returned with a gold medal he sent him to Albania. Again he returned with gold.

“At the start of 2005 I got that itchy feeling,” Sutherland recalled.

“I wanted to box again and get ready for the national championships. But I got a call from the National Stadium about the four nations tournament in Liverpool. I went there and won a gold medal. Then I found myself at the multi-nations tournaments in Russia and Albania and the world championships in China.”

National Coach Billy Walsh is convinced if he had got the other side of the draw at the world championships he would have won a medal.

“I won my first two contests by the 20-point rule and I was very confident,” Sutherland said.

“But I don’t think I was prepared for the Russian. It was not a physical battle - more of a tactical battle - and it was over before it began. Of course I was disappointed, but then I was beaten by the best amateur middleweight in the world. ”

Now he wants to meet the Russian at the European championships next July. He feels that second time around, he will beat him. That is why the upcoming national senior championships are so important to him.

“I don’t know how many entries will be in my division but I am hoping for a couple of fights before the final. Eamonn O’Kane from the North would be my biggest rival but I have beaten him twice already and he is preparing for the Commonwealth Games so I don’t know if he will contest the national championships.

“After the nationals the focus will be the European championships. There are some minor tournaments before that but the Europeans in July will be the focus.

“I am confident but I won’t underestimate anyone over the coming weeks. I know everyone will try to beat me now because of the hype I have created but I have trained hard and I am in great shape. There is always that chance, that split second when you take one on the chin. You have to watch out for that.”

The weigh-in for the championships takes place tomorrow morning at the National Stadium followed by the preliminaries tomorrow night and Saturday, the semi-finals the following weekend and then the finals at the end of January.