Sweet as sugar

IN the US they are dubbing him “the new Sugar Ray”. The former multi-world champion promotes Bernard Dunne and sees the similarities.

Sugar Ray Leonard isn't one for false promises but the twinkle is back in his eye as the Dubliner scorches through a posse of opponents.

Eight fights into an unbeaten professional career and the TV networks are sniffing too, but Dunne, sign-posted for greatness five years ago as an Irish Examiner National Junior Sports Star, is taking it all in his stride, living out the dream he harboured since his father, Brendan, a 1976 Olympic boxer, took him along to the CIE club as a five-year-old.

When Showtime chased him down to open their programme a couple of weeks ago, Leonard had no hesitation putting Dunne in at short notice for a scheduled eight-rounder against Mario Lacey, a five-times Golden Gloves boxer, from Pritchard, Alabama. The fight lasted two minutes.

"He was very sharp, devastating and it was a great win. Everything is going according to schedule," Sugar Ray insisted in a link-up when Dunne's manager, Brian Peters, organised a transatlantic conference call recently.

Peters, understandably careful, wants Dunne to revert to six rounds for another couple of fights but, last week, Sugar Ray was insisting there is no going back.

"Once you move up in rounds, you stay up or move up from eight to 10 rounds. You don't go back," Leonard insisted.

"Because Ben has been so impressive with each win each time he starts out we've raised the level of competition he has been really surprising. My matchmaker, who has the ability to match fighters as they progress, has found that Ben has done exceptionally well and far better than we had anticipated.

"Primarily, it is about natural talent. I think he is very deceptive. When you look at Ben, you don't think he is a puncher and that is a mistake that most guys make with him, because he is such a scrawny little guy," he said.

"He seems to undergo some metamorphosis in the ring he is transformed into a real tiger which is what you should be in the ring. A world title? I don't think it is going to take very long because, at the moment, we are well ahead of schedule and from what I see, Ben Dunne will be a world champion without question.

"I'm not blowing hot air. You talk to any of the boxing experts in the States and they will echo the same sentiments that this young man has so much talent and so much power that it is almost inevitable that he will be a world champion."

With a talent like this at his disposal there might be the possibility that, moving along too quickly, he could he get caught in the fast lane.

"I would not expect Ben to fall into that trap because I think he has his feet planted solidly on the ground.

"He knows what he wants. He knows what it takes to be world champion. You can't be a part-time fighter. That never works. That has been proven by a lot of guys who have had a lot of talent but because they wanted to be a part-time player on the streets or with girls or with other endeavours they never succeed. They may win a title but they will never hold on to it because they don't stay focused."

He highlighted the role Freddie Roach would have in his future development which, he said would evolve around his trainer with whom he has built up an exciting relationship.

"Freddie Roach is an incredible guy. He is a knowledgeable guy. He is a guy who has had experience of being in the ring and also out of the ring. He will make sure he has the proper preparations in the gym, the work ethics and the fights as we move along," he said.

"That is the key. To stay active. To have the fighters to give you versatility to fight tall guys, short guys, strong guys a whole variety of guys and that gets you prepared to fight the best in the world."

He said there has been a huge reaction among the American public to Dunne. They just could not see enough of him and they always want more.

"I get a lot of e-mails and there has been so many compliments of his activities in the ring and this is just wonderful because we want to build Ben up here to have a huge a fanfare and then go to Ireland so that his own fans can see him once again action but as a much more seasoned professional fighter," he said.

"The American boxing fraternity have been blown away by Ben's power. I am at ringside and I hear guys go 'Wow Holy God what punch was that?' and I'm the proud promoter."

He wants to bring Dunne back to box in Ireland. He said he will never forget 1985 when he visited Cork with Olympic silver medallist Shawn O'Sullivan and the reception they received "don't hold me to this but I think he will box in Dublin seven or eight fights down the road".

He described Dunne as one of the most gifted kids he had ever come across but there was another factor and that was the training he got as an amateur boxer with the CIE Club.

"This is obvious because this is the problem a lot of American boxers face. They may have natural talent but they are not taught the basic fundamentals of boxing. Boxing is an art. You use your speed to advantage, you use you mind, your body and your power. A lot of boxers don't have the amateur experience that is needed to take you to the next level," he said.

He said Barry McGuigan had a huge impact on the whole country of Ireland but predicted Dunne could do that and much, much more.

"I think Ben is more personable. Barry is a good guy but Ben has more personality - more charisma which makes him great. Boxing needs personality and he has got it," he said.

Dunne is revelling in the attention yet remains unfazed by the praise being showered upon him and the lethal doses of punching power which he generates with such ease.

"The power it has always been there but more especially now that I am working really hard in the States. I do a lot of fitness workouts after I do my actual training it is all strength and conditioning work and I have got stronger and stronger as I get better and better.

"If you watch all my fights you can actually see the progression in every single fight," he admits.

"The body shots are just killing them. Once I hit them anywhere I can actually see the facial expression change and then guys start to run and that's it. A good body shot is very effective. You can have all the muscle you like but if you don't see that shot coming you are gone."

DUNNE'S decision to turn professional at such a young age was borne out of disillusionment, having being stung by the vagaries of the amateur game, especially at Olympic level. Three years ago, in his bid for the Sydney Games, he lost qualification tournaments on disputed - sometimes dubious decisions. In the end he travelled to Australia as a flyweight reserve, which meant that he was little more than a spectator. Indeed he had to rely on the kindness of Jimmy Magee to secure him access to the arena on one occasion. Dunne was scrapping rock bottom.

"I was disillusioned with boxing when I did not get to the Olympics. In Sydney I was down and out. It was bad. I felt I was mistreated. Maybe if things had been different you never know what could have happened. But I don't look back. I still have a good relationship with the IABA.

"I get on really well with them and they are very supportive of me. They wish me all the best," he said.

Now fast-forward today, to the life and times of Bernard Dunne. Memories of the trials of Sydney makes the life of today all the sweeter.

"But things have been unbelievable. I have eight fights five of them nationally televised and for a rookie to get that is unbelievable and now I have the networks queuing up to actually get me on their shows. They want Dunne on TV.

"I live in Santa Monica a really nice part of LA. I am right beside the beach with my own apartment. I live the life."

An integral part of that life is girlfriend, Pamela Rooney who has been living stateside for the past year-and-a-half and who next January, will become his wife, in a ceremony in Dublin.

"Hopefully, I'll fight October, November and December and I come home to get married in January. Life is treating me really, really good. Boxing is going great. My personal life could not be better. It is fantastic.

"And I have the perfect team. You don't get any better than Brian (Peters). He is one of the best guys you are ever going to meet in your lifetime. He has done an awful lot for me and I thank him for everything. He set up all the deals I have with Freddie (Roach) and with Ray (Leonard).

"Freddie is the man. The guy is so personable so likeable and such a great coach. It is only when you work with the man that you appreciate how good he is. He fought for a world title himself. He fears nobody. I think he sees a bit of me in himself or himself in me.

"All I have ever done is boxed. I never saw my Da box even a tape but he obviously had a huge influence on me. I heard all the stories and when I was five years of age he took me down to Harry Perry in CIE and he trained me with my father. I had a great amateur career but probably not as good as I would have hoped internationally. At home, I could not have won any more. I was never beaten in this country. Internationally I feel let down.

"But right now life is just great. It is like when you are a kid you always want to do something. You always have a dream. Here I am living out my dream. All I ever wanted to do is box and to do what I always wanted to do is just fantastic.

"Not many people in the world get to fulfil their dream. Here I am doing that. I am living out my dream."