Jan 28 2025 30 mins
Stephen Ormond, known as The Rock during his fighting career, knows all about The Rocky Road in boxing. A teenage elite champion who comes from a boxing dynasty, he’s related to the legendary Spike McCormack on his mother’s side, while his father and uncles were all champions in the ring as well, iconic fighting Dubliners all. He boxed as a pro for over a decade, with 33 fights in all, winning the WBO European, IBF inter-continental and WBU world titles, and was never, ever in a dull fight. Ormond was a well-schooled, aggressive boxer-puncher who shared the sparring ring with Conor McGregor but never once s***-talked another fighter to get to where he wanted to go. Ultimately, a world title shot passed him by, but he’s determined to reach the holy grail, this time as a trainer. That’s led to the opening of Stephen Ormond Boxing down at the Colosseum Gym in Kylemore, where we met for a chat about his ideas on what makes a successful pro, and a look back at his best night yet in boxing. We’re also joined by his old mate Luke Keeler, a year on from his first appearance on the show, while there’s also something of an exclusive towards the end of the episode as hype man supreme, cutman and uisce guru Mark Kennedy lends his thoughts on Ormond’s potential as a coach, and irish-boxing.com’s effervescent roving reporter Matt Meehan gives his take on the events of the day.
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