Tales from the Ring

Michael Conlan grew up in West Belfast and comes from a family steeped in boxing, so it was no surprise that he would follow in his brothers footsteps to Clonard ABC at only 8 years of age. He was always a young boxer who was full of confidence in the ring and winning an Irish title in his first year set him on his way in amateur boxing. Michael opens up about going down the wrong path in his teenage years by drinking and taking various substances from as early as 12-13 years of age. A turning point came when he was selected for the Commonwealth Youth Games at 16. He was told he would have to be drug tested and this was a moment when Michael decided things had to change in his life and from that point, he dedicated himself fully to boxing.Once Michael moved to senior level, he would soon really come to the fore and would win Ulster and Irish senior titles in 2010 and 2011. After reaching the quarter finals of the World Championships in 2011, an Olympic spot in London 2012 was secured. Michael would go on to claim a bronze medal at those unforgettable games after losing to the Cuban who would eventually claim gold. Over the next 3 years, Michael would cement himself in Irish boxing history by winning Commonwealth, European and World senior gold medals and he goes into depth about the journey to winning these major titles. Going into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, he was the poster boy of Irish sport and alongside Katie Taylor was the favourite to claim a gold medal for Ireland. We go into depth about the build up to the hugely controversial quarter final defeat to Russian, Vladimir Nikitin. Who can forget the famous middle finger salute to the judges and the raw interview he gave to RTE straight after the fight. Michael speaks from the heart on his amateur career and there are plenty of funny stories thrown in there as well. Listen to part 1 today of our 2 part special episode.

Paul Quinn and I chat about all the main talking points from the last month in Irish and World boxing. We review the recent huge card at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium featuring the brutal war between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn. We also discuss if Irish boxing now has a new star after Aaron McKenna's fantastic performance to defeat Liam Smith on the undercard. We then turn our attention to this past weekend with wins for Canelo Alvarez, Naoya Inoue, Devin Haney and Roddy Romero. We also preview some of the big shows coming up including Anto Cacace v Leigh Wood this weekend which also features Kurt Walker in a 50/50 against Liam Davies. Lastly, we chat about the announced undisputed title fights featuring Oleksandr Usyk v Daniel Dubois in Wembley in July and Canelo Alvarez v Terence Crawford in Las Vegas this September.

Danny chats to me growing up in Cork and his start in boxing. He had a very successful amateur career, winning 3 Irish National titles and represented Ireland at the European championships. He would decide to travel to Australia as many lads would in their late teens, but he would soon stumble across a boxing gym and continue his journey on the other side of the world. He would turn professional over in Australia and would win his first 3 fights before COVID would derail his career.Danny would decide to move back home in 2020 and would begin the next chapter of his pro career in 2021. In recent years he has won fights in Ireland and in Australia to remain undefeated 9-0. In recent months a link up with manager, Dennis Hogan and being signed by Tasman promotions has allowed him to get onto the huge DAZN platform. He now has an opportunity to win his first title as he challenges for the WBC Australasia title on the undercard of Jai Opetaia's world title fight in Australia on June 8th. Danny is hoping this next fight will be just the start of the titles in his career. Listen to his story today.

Paul grew up in Sheffield, England and talks about his upbringing which included spending some years in Jamaica as a kid. He had a modest amateur career in his own words, but it was always Paul's ambition to turn professional and he would begin his pro career with very mixed results, winning only 3 of his first 7 contests. Paul was eager to improve and spent a number of years training and fighting in Canada alongside former Olympic medalist and world amateur champion, Shawn O'Sullivan. Paul would soon return to England and begin winning fights over the next 3 years. In 1992 after a stoppage defeat to Paul Wesley, he would retire from the sport and be out of the ring for over 2 years and would face many dark days. When he would decide to return to the sport, he would train and spar alongside Irish boxers, Eamon Loughran and Steve Collins under the Barry Hearn Matchroom stable. Then in 1995, he would win his first major title when he stopped Damien Denny at the Ulster Hall in April, 1995 for the WBO Inter-continental title. This win would lead to an unexpected World title shot against champion, Verno Phillips in Paul's hometown of Sheffield. Paul would put on the performance of his life to win a points decision and become Britain's first Light-Middleweight world champion.Paul opens up about the tough times that would follow after this moment as he was stripped of his title due to politics and never defended the title. He would fight on for 7 more years and claim a Commonwealth Middleweight title and WBC International Super-Middleweight title. Paul finally talks about how life has been since retirement and also about his new autobiography which will be released later this year.

Paul Quinn and I debate our dream all time fantasy matchups in world boxing. We cover fighters from various decades and generations to build the ultimate dream card featuring some of our favourite fighters ever. Let us know who would make your shortlist and if you agree with who we feel would come out on top of our matchups.

Neil Gough is a former 8 x Irish Elite champion from County Waterford and is widely regarded as one of the greatest amateur boxers Ireland has ever produced. He talks about his early years at St. Paul's ABC under his hugely influential coach, John Finn. We chat about his early amateur career and his competitive rivalry with Eddie Fisher during his Intermediate years. We then go through his amazing record of 11 straight Irish senior finals against quality opposition including, Eamonn Magee, Neil Sinclair, Eddie Fisher, Francis Barrett and James Moore amongst others. There were numerous World and European championship appearances including a fantastic run to the quarter finals of the 1997 World Championships in Budapest when he would lose to 2 x Olympic Gold medalist Oleg Saitov. This run would place Neil as world number 5 in at the time.Neil also opens up about his frustration at failing to reach 3 consecutive Olympic Games after falling just short at various qualifiers. There are also stories about meeting boxing legends, Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield thrown in there as well. Finally, we find out how Neil is still involved in amateur boxing in Waterford to this very day. Neil is a proper gentleman and it is a real pleasure sharing his story.

Matthew Tyndall Jr grew up in Bray, Co. Wicklow and comes from a family steeped in boxing. Matthew talks about walking into a boxing gym at only 4 years of age and how Katie Taylor would become a huge inspiration to him growing up. Matthew would have immediate success winning an Irish title in his very first year. Throughout his illustrious amateur career, he would win 9 Irish national titles and would represent his country in European championships.Matthew would become quite disillusioned with the amateur game and would decide to turn professional in 2023 at only 20 years of age. He is currently 7-1 as a professional having just come off an unsuccessful attempt at the Irish Welterweight title against Senan Kelly in 2024 after stepping in at short notice. He has recently linked up with Irish boxing legend, Wayne McCullough in Las Vegas and is hoping to move over to train full time in pursuit of securing some titles in the very near future. Listen to Matthew's story today.

James Moore grew up in Arklow, County Wicklow and was in a boxing gym from 6 years of age. His amateur career was in his own words a “late developer” in fact he never won an Irish title at schoolboy, youth or junior level in the early days. It wasn't long until he would start to have great success beginning with an Irish Intermediate title in 1997. The goal was always to win that National Elite title, but standing in his way was the seasoned, Neil Gough. After coming up short in semi-finals and finals to the Waterford man, he would eventually claim that senior title in 2001 beating Gough in the final. James would soon add a Four Nations gold medal before representing Ireland at the 2001 World Senior championships in Belfast.Those championships would prove to be the greatest week of James' amateur career. He would go on to claim the only bronze medal from a strong Irish team. James talks about what he had to overcome having 5 fights in 6 days to win his medal. He also talks about sparring stories with Carl Frochin the training camp and nights out with David Haye. After this success at these championships, he would find the next year or so a struggle with injuries, constant training camps and the tragedy of losing 3 of his best friends in a caraccident. James would still continue to have success in 2002-2003 winning 2 more Irish Elite titles and multiple Four Nation gold medals, but when an Olympic place wasn't secured in 2004, he knew that professional boxing was thenext step in his career.James would move to New York and train in the famous Gleason's Gym and quickly build up an undefeated record over the next 3 years. He would add a New York State title and top the bill at Madison Square Garden, Theatre. He would build a 15-0 undefeated record before losing a dubious decision to Gabriel Rosado in 2008. He would go on to win 2 more fights before losing a points decision to future World Champion, Yuri Foreman for the NABF title and Pawel Wolak in his final fight at Yankee Stadium. Since retirement, James has become a part owner in a successful bar in Queens, NY and is happy and content in the States with his wife and 3 kids. He is a humble man who very rarely talks about his boxing story, so I am really excited to release this to you all.

Paul Quinn and I chat about all the main talking points from the last month in Irish and World boxing. We review the recent fights involving Irish boxers including, Tyrone McKenna, TJ Doheny, Paddy Donovan, Lewis Crocker, Feargal McCrory, Callum Walsh and Donagh Keary. We also look back at the massive Saudi card featuring the rematch between Bivol and Beterviev amongst many others. We preview some big shows coming up involving Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn and Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano 3. Finally, we chat about some of the other talking points including Dana White's plans for professional boxing as well as a tribute to the legend, George Foreman who sadly passed away this past weekend.

This week, I look back at some of the greatest wins away from home involving Irish boxers. I go right back over the past 100 years and put together a list featuring over 40 boxers at both amateur and professional level. Please let me know of some of your favourite memories and let me know if there are any boxers that deserve a special mention.

I look back at this weekend's much anticipated show at the SSE Arena, Belfast featuring the mouth watering contest between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan as well as a stacked undercard. I talk about my experience of being in the arena and go through each contest that I watched. I am then joined by our resident guest, Paul Quinn to chat about the controversial main event which resulted in Lewis Crocker remaining unbeaten following Paddy Donovan being disqualified in chaotic scenes. Paul does not hold back when giving his opinions on this one.

Paul Quinn and I debate our dream All Irish matchups over the years. We cover fighters from various decades and generations to build the ultimate dream card featuring some of our greatest fighters. Let us know who would make your shortlist.

On this weeks episode, I will be looking back at some of the greatest families in Irish professional boxing. This will cover almost 100 years in the sport and many different families will be featured. We have brothers, fathers and sons, uncles-nephews and many more connections. Let me know of any families that you think deserve a special mention and apologies if I have missed any families out.

Paul Quinn and I talk about some of the big talking points from the last month in Irish and world boxing. We preview some of the massive cards involving Irish fighters starting with Lewis Crocker v Paddy Donovan at the SSE Arena. We also give our thoughts on the great undercard featuring, Padraig McCrory v Craig Richards and Tommy McCarthy v Steven Ward amongst others.We also look ahead to the mouth watering contest between Aaron McKenna and Liam Smith on the Conor Benn v Chris Eubank undercard at the Tottenham Hotspur arena in April.We gives our opinions on the imminent news that Anto Cacace will face Leigh Wood in a massive fight after recently vacating his IBF world title. Finally, we give our 5 fight predictions for the huge upcoming Saudi card this month featuring Beterbiev v Bivol 2 and Daniel Dubois v Joseph Parker and many more.

Tiernan Bradley is currently undefeated as a professional boxer and he has set his sights on major titles in 2025. On the episode, Tiernan talks me through his journey growing up in County Tyrone, winning countless Irish titles as well as claiming European and Commonwealth medals in the amateur ranks. He also discusses his adventures in countries such as Russia, Samoa and the USA . During the journey there have been long periods of inactivity which ultimately left Tiernan having to lose over 30kg's to get to the point where he could restart his career as a professional boxer in late 2020. In the last 4 years he has moved to 10-0 in the pro ranks, moved to Brighton, sparred world class fighters and is currently backed by GBM promotions. We also chat about future plans and his goals going forward.

Connor Coyle has the current longest unbeaten streak of any Irish professional boxer (21-0). The Derry native has been based in Florida, USA throughout his professional career and is deep in camp for his upcoming fight at Madison Square Garden against Vito Mielnicki Jr for WBC, WBO and USBA International titles on Valentines Day. On the podcast, Connor firstly talks about his upbringing in Derry and his family history in the sport. Connor talks about his amateur career which he feels was unfulfilled but would ultimately end in a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in Glasgow, 2014. Since turning professional in 2016 he has won numerous American and International belts and is WBA world ranked number 3. We also touch upon the potential for some big domestic contests in the future, but first he is not overlooking his biggest challenge to date on Valentine's day. Listen to Connor's story today.

Paul Quinn and I debate our Top 10 Heavyweight's of all time. We cover fighters from past generations right up to the modern day greats. We debate our different criteria's and examine each boxers achievements and CV. It's fair to say our lists might be the most controversial yet with some amazing names missing out on both of our lists. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know who makes your Top 10 list.

On this weeks podcast, I investigate just who may be considered as Ireland's hardest ever puncher. I look at our many champions records and go through the 10 boxers with the highest KO ratios. As well as statistics, I discuss other factors that have to be considered including, era, weight division campaigned and quality of opposition. Everyone will have their own opinions, so please let me know who would make your short list.

Just for a bit of craic, Paul Quinn and I look back at a great year of boxing with our first annual awards show. We make our picks from the following categories:- World boxer of the year- Irish boxer of the year- World fight of the year- Irish fight of the year- Knockout of the year- Funniest moment of the year- World prospect of the year- Irish prospect of the yearLet us know if you agree or disagree with our picks. Happy new year everyone.

Paul Quinn and I discuss all the main talking points from the past month in boxing. We give our views on who we felt was the deserving winner in the recent rematch between Olesandr Usyk and Tyson Fury this past weekend. We also cover the other fights on the card including the controversial contest between Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen. We then look back at some of the big fights involving Irish boxers including Stevie McKenna's first defeat to Lee Cutler and the war between Tyrone McKenna and Dylan Moran. Finally, we look ahead to the big cards coming up in the new year, including one of the greatest fight cards of all time in February which features, Beterbiev v Bivol 2, Dubois v Parker, Buatsi v Smith, Ortiz Jr v Madrimov and so much more. Finally, we look ahead to the all Irish dust up between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan in March at the SSE Arena, Belfast.

Paul Quinn and I debate the Top 10 greatest comebacks in boxing history. We cover fights in which boxers come back from the brink of defeat to snatch victory, fighters who avenged defeats in rematches as well boxers who came back from long breaks to achieve great things. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know what you think.

In this episode, I look back at the amazing John Breen stable of fighters from 1998-2019. I recap the early days above the Monaco Bar with champions such as Jim Rock, Eamonn Magee and Neil Sinclair. Who can forget some of the massive nights in John's career with Martin Rogan and Paul McCloskey during the mid 2000's. Other champions featured include Stephen Haughian, Kevin O'Hara, Andrew Murray, Jamie Conlan, Marco McCullough, Paddy Gallagher, Wayne Alexander and many more.

Paul Quinn and I discuss all the main talking points from the past month in boxing. We give our views on who we felt was the deserving winner in the recent war between Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano and touch briefly on the Mike Tyson v Jake Paul circus. We also look back at some of the big fights involving UK fighters including Jack Catterall v Regis Prograis and Chris-Billam Smith v Gilberto Ramirez. We finally preview the upcoming rematch between Fury and Usyk and look at some upcoming fights in December involving Irish boxers, Stevie McKenna, Tyrone McKenna and Paddy Donovan.

Patsy McKenna is a veteran trainer from Ardoyne in North Belfast. Patsy first started coaching at Sacred Heart ABC in the late 70's and was an integral part of the clubs success during the 1980-1990's. The club would produce multiple Irish champions throughout those years including the Magee's, Corbett's and more. It was Patsy's relationship with the youngest Magee brother, Eamonn that would bring huge success in the amateur ranks. Eamonn Magee would claim 10 Irish titles including 2 senior championships with Patsy in his corner every step of the way. A World Junior silver medal and countless other multi-nations medals would be added over the years. Patsy chats about their unique relationship and tells stories of their journey, which wasn't always smooth sailing. Patsy is still coaching at Ardoyne Holy Cross Boxing Club into his 80's and it is clear that he still has that passion for the sport. Listen to his story today.

Paul Quinn and I debate the Top 10 craziest moments in boxing. We cover some funny, scary and outright bizarre moments in the sport. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Deirdre Gogarty is a true trailblazer of female boxing in Ireland. She was born in 1969 in Drogheda and after watching Barry McGuigan win the world title, decided she wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a world champion boxer. Back in the 1980's female boxing in Ireland was not seen as a viable option for many young girls, but Deirdre was determined to follow her dream. After training in gyms in Drogheda and Dublin, she would eventually have her first and only fight in Ireland back in 1991 in Limerick.Deirdre would decide to uproot her life and move to the States to sign with manager and coach Beau Williford in 1992. After winning 7 contests and drawing 2, Deirdre would lose her first 2 world title attempts against Laura Serrano and Stacy Prestage. After these disappointments an opportunity to fight on a Mike Tyson world title undercard at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas against Christy Martin would change the sport of female boxing forever. In March 1996, Deirdre and Christy went to war for 6 rounds on PPV television and the public's attitude to female boxing would change. Deirdre would eventually claim that illusive world title in 1997 against Bonny Canino in New Orleans. She would get a modest homecoming back home in Drogheda in comparison to todays open top bus parades. Deirdre would inspire so many female boxers around the world and one particular young aspiring boxer would write a letter to her hero in the late 1990's. That young girl was Katie Taylor who would become the icon that she is today. After retiring from boxing in 1998, Deirdre would coach for over 20 years and is now happily settled with her family in Louisiana. In March this year a statue of Deirdre was unveiled in her hometown of Drogheda to honor her achievements and is a permanent reminder that the woman who was forced to leave her hometown and country to pursue her dreams never has to leave again...

This week's special podcast is a look down memory lane at arguably the best boxing gym and stable ever to come out of Ireland, the famous Barney Eastwood stable of the 1980-1990's. Barney Eastwood was born in 1932 in Cookstown, Tyrone. He was a talented Gaelic footballer, winning the All Ireland Minor title in 1948. His love of boxing would begin after watching US soldiers box at the US Army base in Tyrone back in WW2. Barney would start his own bookmakers business in the 1950's and after building an empire, he would turn his attention to his love of boxing. Barney would build a gym and stable of fighters/coaches over the next two decades that would compete with any gym in Europe. Barry McGuigan, Hugh Russell , Herol Graham and Dave McAuley would win World, European and British titles during the 1980's. Who can forget the special nights with Barry McGuigan and the amazing relationship they built together which unfortunately would turn sour years later. By 1992, Paul Hodkinson, Crisanto Espana and Victor Cordoba would also join Dave 'boy' McAuley as World champions. Countless other champions would make their mark in the gym including Ray Close, Sam Storey, Noel Magee, Crawford Ashley as well as future World champions Eamonn Loughran, John Lowey and Steve Collins. Barney Eastwood would end his love affair with boxing by the late 1990's and eventually sell his successful Eastwood's bookmakers chain in a huge multi-million pound deal. He would retire to his home in Holywood with his wife Frances until his sad passing in 2020. He legacy lives on and he will forever be regarded as the 'Godfather of Irish boxing'.

Paul Quinn and I chat all things boxing from the past month. We review the massive card in Saudi which featured the Undisputed Light-Heavyweight contest between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. We also give our thoughts on Fabio Wardley's 1st round knockout of Frazier Clarke, Ben Whittaker's bizarre injury and the Benn v Eubank scenes in the ring featuring Neymar. We also review the massive AJ V Dubois fight and discuss what should be next for both boxers. We also review the stacked card which featured Anto Cacace beating Josh Warrington. Finally, we preview some of the big upcoming fights this month including Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano and Jack Catterall v Regis Prograis.

In this special episode I look back at Irish boxing's rich history in the Olympic Games on the 100 year anniversary of our very first tournament. I look back at every Irish medalist from our first, John McNally all the way up to our double Olympic champion, Kellie Harrington. In total 17 boxers have won 19 medals in boxing for the country. When you consider that the total amount of medals Ireland has won in all sports is 42 we have most definitely been punching well above our weight.

Paul Quinn and I debate our Top 10 Knockouts ever. We cover a range of fighters from different countries, divisions and decades. It's fair to say this list will be one that all boxing fan's will have their own opinion on. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Paul Quinn and I chat about some of the main talking points from boxing over this past month or so. We preview the massive Wembley card happening this week featuring Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois and Anto Cacace v Josh Warrington and give our fight predictions for the entire card. We also review TJ Doheny's recent unsuccessful challenge for the undisputed Super-Bantamweight title against Naoya Inoue as well as Canelo Alvarez's win over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas this past weekend.

On the 30th anniversary of the Commonwealth Games which were held in Canada, I review the amazing achievements of the Northern Ireland boxing team back in 1994. I discuss the team members and their path to those games. I also rewind back to the Ulster championships that year to see who would be selected for the team. Some of the great names featured include; Neil Sinclair, Jim Webb, Mark Winters, Martin Reneghan, Damean Kelly and many more. At the games itself, an 11 strong team would come back with 2 Gold and 2 Silver medals. I also talk about what each boxer did afterwards including some amazing successes in the professional ranks. If there are any other past championships you think would be good to cover in future episodes, please let me know.

Paul Quinn and I debate our Top 10 boxers who failed to reach their full potential in the sport. We cover a range of fighters from different countries, divisions and decades. It's fair to say this list will be one that all boxing fan's will have their own opinion on. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Just an update video to all listeners and subscribers regarding the podcast subscriptions. Thanks so much to everyone that subscribed over the past 8 months.

Paul Quinn and I chat all things boxing from the past month. We discuss the recent boxing shows featuring Irish boxers including Stevie McKenna's unreal slugfest on Sky Sports. We also talk about the explosive night at the SSE this past weekend which featured Tyrone McKenna topping the bill. The Olympic Games has been one of the most controversial ever for boxing. We talk about the Irish teams performance and the recent gender debate on social media surrounding the Algerian female boxer. Finally, we chat about some of the biggest fights in world boxing over the past month including Terence Crawford's recent victory to become a 4 weight world champion.

Paul Quinn and I debate our Top 10 favourite fights ever. We cover a range of fighters from different countries, divisions and decades. It's fair to say this list will be one that all boxing fan's will have their own opinion on. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Wayne Alexander is a former British, European and WBU world champion. He grew up in Croydon, England and would go on to have a very successful amateur career. He talks about the highs of those early days, winning national titles including the 1994 Senior ABA title. He also had the disappointment of missing out on the Commonwealth Games in 1994 which still hurts him 30 years on. Wayne turned professional in 1995 and would soon build up an unbeaten record before winning the British title in one of the fights of the year against Paul Samuel's. Wayne talks about stepping up at only 24 hours notice to challenge unsuccessfully for the WBO world title against undefeated Harry Simon in 2001. He would soon bounce back to defend his British title and add the European title a year later. Wayne would then go through a difficult spell when he would lose unexpectedly to Delroy Mellis in 2003 and would soon make a change in order to continue to win titles. In 2004 he would move stables to John Breen's Belfast gym and would face a massive domestic showdown with Takaloo for the WBU world title. Wayne would train like a man possessed and would go on to have one of the greatest knockout victories in British boxing history to claim the title. He also opens up about ending his pro career and how life has been since retirement. Wayne is a fighter that has certainly left his mark on the sport and will be remembered as a true warrior.

Paul Quinn and I chat about the main talking points from a packed month of boxing in June. We begin with the Matchroom v Queensbury 5 v 5 at the start of the month which included Deontay Wilders defeat to Zhang, Daniel Dubois beating Hrgovic and Nick Ball winning the world title. We then focus on the recent news of Anto Cacace facing Josh Warrington on the massive AJ v Dubois bill at Wembley stadium. We also review some of the biggest Irish contests during June featuring, Lewis Crocker, Conor Quinn, Pierce O'Leary and Feargal McCrory. Finally we preview the upcoming Catterall v Prograis and Crawford v Madrimov contests and talk about more controversy surrounding Ryan Garcia.

Paul Quinn and I debate our Top 10 punchers ever in boxing history. We cover a range of fighters from different countries, divisions and decades. It's fair to say this list will be one that all boxing fan's will have their own opinion on. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know.

Ruadhan Farrell is the current BUI Celtic Super-Bantamweight champion. He talks about growing up in North Belfast and his journey into boxing. Ruadhan talks about his amateur career and how it came about that he turned professional in 2022. He has boxed in Estonia, Spain and had domestic matchups against Colm Murphy, Gerard Hughes and Conor Kerr in such a short space of time. He is now about to have a rematch with Gerard Hughes on a big stage at the SSE Arena in August after their controversial draw last year. He talks about his mindset going into this rematch and his ambitions for the future. Ruadhan is a young man that speaks from the heart and is someone who clearly believes in himself.

Mick Kelleher is a former 4 x Irish amateur champion from county Cork. He chats about his early days as a boxer and how he progressed to represent Ireland. We chat about how his career progressed and the ups and downs along the way. Mick is the son of Tommy Kelleher who has been a very influential coach in Cork and Ireland for many years. Mick talks about his dad's experiences coaching Irish teams in championships around the world including the World Senior championships in 1989. Mick is a real boxing historian and talks a little about the history of boxing in Cork and the recent boxing museum that opened which celebrates the greats from the county. Mick in recent years has played a massive part in the Cork Ex Boxers Association and has started numerous social media pages to share boxing around the country. He is someone who has a great passion for the sport and continues to play a big part in Irish boxing to this very day.

Paul Quinn and I look back at an action packed month of boxing in May. We focus on the recent heavyweight undisputed contest between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Will we agree on who we thought won the fight and who do we fancy for the rematch? We also look back at the amazing performance from Anthony Cacace to rip the IBF World title from Joe Cordina. The much anticipated rematch between Josh Tyalor and Jack Catterall did not disappoint also. We also chat about some of the recent performances of Lomachenko, Canelo and Inoue. Finally, we look ahead to some of the big shows and contests coming up in Irish boxing including Lewis Crocker, Conor Quinn, Feargal McCrory, Pierce O'Leary and Owen O'Neill.

Padraig McCrory grew up in St. James' in West Belfast. After starting boxing around 15 years of age, he would have success winning various Antrim and Ulster titles before taking a gap in his 20's of 4 years. After deciding one Christmas to give boxing another go at the upcoming Ulster Senior championships, he would go on to win that title a month later. After missing out on the Commonwealth Games later that year, he would decide at 28 years of age to go professional. Padraig took to the pro game like a duck to water and would soon go undefeated in 8 fights. He would then win the BUI Celtic title, defeating Steve Collins Jr before adding the WBC International title in 2021. Padraig was then given the unexpected opportunity to move up in weight and challenge undefeated Leon Bunn in Frankfurt, Germany for the IBO world Light-Heavyweight title in late 2022. Padraig would give a career best performance to stop Bunn in 6 one sided rounds. Massive celebrations took place back home on his arrival when he arrived home to St. James' with the belt. Padraig then decided to move back down in weight to his more natural Super-Middleweight and remain unbeaten before taking a big step up in February this year when facing Edgar Berlanga in Florida, USA. Padraig battled bravely but came up short against the very talented Berlanga. He talks about coming to terms with the disappointment of this defeat. Padraig talks about his plans for the future both inside and outside of the ring. Could a comeback be on the cards? He has also recently started to manager boxers under "Hammer boxing" and he hopes to pass on his own experiences to look after these fighters in the future.

Owen O'Neill is currently undefeated in 13 professional contests. He had a relatively short amateur career contesting 18 fights in total. Owen talks about the highs of his short amateur career, representing Antrim in various countries and the lows of losing close finals and failing to win an amateur title. He turned professional in 2019 under the radar and soon racked up early wins in front of his big fan base. He would then win his first boxing title in 2022 after a fight of the year contender and knockout of the year against Owen Duffy to claim the BUI Celtic title. Since then he has continued to win, but has had difficult times outside of the ring. Owen talks about losing his beloved Granny last year and how this loss impacted him when missing weight for his Irish title fight against Declan Geraghty. After this disappointment, he is now rebuilding under new trainer, Dan Anderson and manager, Padraig McCrory. The North Belfast man also talks about his love for Cliftonville football club as well as stories about sparring Chris Eubank Jr and much more.

Paul Quinn and I debate the top 10 boxers of the modern era (1990-present). We cover a range of fighters from different countries, divisions and decades. It's fair to say this list will be one that all boxing fan's will have their own opinion on. Do you agree with our selections? Have a listen and let us know.

Brandon McCarthy is a Kilkenny boxer that had a fantastic amateur career. He won an amazing 16 Irish national titles from Boy 1 all the way to Elite level. He also represented Ireland at multiple European and World championships and won a silver medal at the European schoolboy championships in Russia. His aim was to reach this years Olympic Games in Paris, but an eye injury ended this dream. He has now moved across to the professional scene and has won his first pro contest back in March. He is wanting to stay very active and move into title contention soon. Something tells me the future is very bright for Brandon.

Resident guest, Paul Quinn and I chat about some of the big boxing stories from April. We discuss the recent Ryan Garcia v Devin Haney fight as well as the outrageuos Sean McComb points defeat on the same bill. We recap the amazing contest between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke. Finally, we preview some massive fights coming up including Taylor v Serrano, Fury v Usyk, Bivol v Beterbiev and the Matchroom v Queensbury 5 v 5.

Eamonn Magee grew up in Ardoyne during the height of the troubles. He was the youngest of 4 boys who would all find their safe place in Sacred Heart ABC. Eamonn was a real talent as an amateur winning 10 Irish titles as well as multiple multi-nation gold medals. He also claimed a silver medal at the World junior championships in Puerto Rico, 1989. Eamonn talks about his disappointment at missing out on the Barcelona Olympics and how he began to go off the rails with drink. Eamonn talks about being shot in the leg by the IRA and how he would win his 2nd Irish senior title just weeks afterwards. We then discuss his professional career which included a Commonwealth title and 5 defences against quality fighters such as Shea Neary, Jon Thaxton and Paul Burke. He would go on to challenge for his first world title in Manchester back in 2002 against the rising star of British boxing, Ricky Hatton. He would be the first man to floor Hatton and push him all the way in a close decision defeat. Eamonn talks about bouncing back to achieve his dream when winning the WBU world title in Cardiff in 2003. Weeks later he would become the victim of an attack when he was beaten with baseball bats and would be left with horrific injuries and face over a year out of the ring. We also discuss the end of his boxing career, moving into coaching with John Breen and having great success during this time as a team. In recent years, there have been very dark times with the awful murder of his son, Eamonn Jr in 2015. His battles with addiction have also followed Eamonn throughout his life. Back in 2018 his book ‘The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee' would become a huge success winning multiple awards. Eamonn talks about plans for a documentary and movie in the future. Hopefully there will be many more chapters to his story.

Tommy Hyde is currently undefeated in 8 professional contests. He was a very successful amateur boxer, winning 3 Irish titles. He is also the son of Gary Hyde who famously managed the great Guillermo Rigondeaux amongst many other champions. Tommy has been present at massive world title fights since a young age with his father and met some of the greats of the sport. The Cork native turned professional in 2022 and has recently claimed the BUI Celtic Super-Middleweight title and has an upcoming fight in June. He is looking towards an Irish title fight later this year. Tommy talks about his journey to date and his ambitions for the future.

Paul Quinn and I debate our Top 10 British boxers of the modern era. We have focused on the last 30 years when we have been watching boxing. We cover fighters from different decades, weight divisions and debate just who is the greatest British boxer we have seen in our lifetime. Do you agree with our list? Let us know.

Current Celtic and Commonwealth Silver Flyweight champion, Conor Quinn chats to me about his boxing journey to date. The former Clonard ABC boxer won 7 Irish titles as an amateur and represented Ireland around the world at senior level. Conor decided to move across the world to Australia in 2019 to turn professional and would win his first 2 pro contests before COVID struck. A move back home was soon on the cards in 2021. Under new manager, Mark Dunlop plans were in place to unleash Conor to his home fans before disaster struck. Conor failed a routine brain scan after tests discovered he had had a stroke without ever knowing. After months of tests, he was told a hole in his heart was the reason for this and immediate surgery was needed. Conor would come through this ordeal and finally begin the next chapter in his professional career. He is now undefeated in 10 contests and has recently signed a promotional deal with Frank Warren's, Queensbury promotions. Big title fights will hopefully be on the horizon in 2024 and beyond.