Ballinasloe man proves it is never too late
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
For many years boxing coach Paddy O'Brien has harboured an ambition and at 31 he is about to realise his dream by stepping into the ring as a novice on behalf of Emerald Boxing club in Ballinasloe. "I have been training for the past year and there has been a fair bit of preparation taking place. I haven't been in the sport that long but this is something I always wanted to do all of my life but with kids and work commitments I am only getting around to it now. I have been sparing an awful lot whenever I can, hoping it will all go well in Galway."
Many in the sport start as a boxer and then a coach but Paddy is coming at it from a different angle. "It was something I never got around to after leaving school early and going straight to work and therefore I didn't have time to do it and I only got around to doing something about it in the past two years."
Thinking ahead to his date in the ring he admits he is a little nervous. "There are a few nerves involved all right. Along with the fitness your self confidence and self esteem gets a real boost."
Like many in the club, Paddy has two idols from the sport. " Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. I don't think there is another boxer that has topped their achievements. I developed an interest watching their fights but sadly they are gone now, but they were the two that inspired me and gave me a hunger for boxing."
Paddy is making up for lost time taking himself down to the gym for extra training sessions. "I come in on Saturday mornings (with others), also and this part is all about keeping lads fit and not leaving four days without having something to do and I will come in myself again on Sunday and as often as I can and I try to come up about five days per week."
Needless to say Paddy has a special diet to help with his preparations. "It is a high carbohydrate diet with high protein and high energy foods, low fat and low salt food. There is also medium sugar food such as fruit, vegetables and I tend to stick to red meat."
He also admits he picks up tips from the younger boxers, which is all part of the learning exercise. " One thing I have learned is that boxing isn't just about using you hands but it is more about using you feet. They will tell you if you are good on your feet your hands will follow. If you can move around on your feet you are in the right spot all of the time. As Ali once said: 'Float like a butterfly,' that means you are so light on your feet that you are always in the right spot for an attack. You are always quick to get out the way of punches."
During his working day Paddy counts down the hours until it is time to train once more. "I crave for this (training) all of the time and I am really into fitness. I was in the Army but because of the unit I was in I never got a chance to join the boxing club but I was always really fit and always into keeping my fitness level up and this is what I was dying to do all of the time." Right now Paddy is looking forward to hearing that opening ball when he comes out fighting. " I am really looking forward to it. It will take place early next year, maybe in mid-February in Galway. There are a lot of tournaments in the city so it will be somewhere down there."
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