The Rocky Road

Gary Cully knows all about The Rocky Road at this stage. With massive momentum at his back, he went into 2023 certain that he was on the fast track to world title glory. And things got even better when he secured a co-headline slot on the Katie Taylor homecoming bill last May. But he watched Taylor’s fight with Chantelle Cameron from the back of an ambulance following a shock stoppage defeat to Mexico’s Jose Felix. Taylor picked herself up for the rematch with Cameron and ‘The Diva’ had to do the same, even more so, when big-time boxing returned to the 3Arena in Dublin in November. He opted to take the same dressing room, wear the same gear and replicate the same ringwalk for a must-win comeback fight against Reece Mould. He may not have been overly happy with the performance but the Naas man admits that getting the win was all that mattered on the night. We headed down to meet Cully at UNIT 3: Health and Fitness in his hometown, even sampling a fine cup of coffee from his adjacent café, suitably called Diva Coffee Co. And, before training alongside the world title hopeful for the day to see just how seriously he takes his business, we spoke about the impact of the Felix loss, what it was like to lose his O, the struggle to find his feet again and the long-term plan – alongside long-time coach Niall Barrett – before his next fight. And it’s a tough one again, with Cully back in against two-time European champ Francesco Patera on the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall bill in Leeds on May 25 – exactly a year to the day since his life-changing defeat in Dublin.

The Rocky Road paid a visit to Moate, Co Westmeath for a conversation we've been waiting a few years to have. Joe Ward is one of the finest boxers ever to come out of Ireland and why wouldn't he be, when he comes from fighting stock? After all, his grandfather is no other than 'Big' Joe Joyce, AKA The Hulk, AKA The King of the Travellers, AKA - The Boss of All Men. He made his name as the bareknuckle champion of these islands but nowadays Big Joe is his grandson's biggest supporter and a keen advocate of boxing inside the ropes.In Part Two, we discuss Big Joe's days as a bareknuckle boxer, recall some of his huge fights and the reason he chased them (or they chased him). He tells why he doesn't want his sons or grandsons going into that life now, though, and why organised boxing is the way forward. Joe Ward talks about having a target on his back after making his name as an exciting young boxer and how he managed to stay away from the bareknuckle scene himself. 

The Rocky Road paid a visit to Moate, Co Westmeath for a conversation we've been waiting a few years to have. Joe Ward is one of the finest boxers ever to come out of Ireland and why wouldn't he be, when he comes from fighting stock? After all, his grandfather is no other than 'Big' Joe Joyce, AKA The Hulk, AKA The King of the Travellers, AKA - The Boss of All Men. He made his name as the bareknuckle champion of these islands but nowadays Big Joe is his grandson's biggest supporter and a keen advocate of boxing inside the ropes.In Part One, we talk about Joe Ward's professional career as he basks in the glow of his latest victory at Madison Square Garden, considers his British rivals and looks ahead to world title showdowns with the baddest men on the planet. Big Joe talks about his idols as a young man and why he looked up to Muhammad Ali above all others. He also discusses the pride Tyson Fury brought to the Travelling community, while the pair look ahead to the Gypsy King's undisputed world heavyweight showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.

Happy St Patrick's Day from The Rocky Road - and from Kevin McBride. The Clones Colossus is someone we've wanted to have on since the start and we finally made it happen in time for the annual wearing of the green. The man who finished Mike Tyson talks about the return of The Baddest Man on the Planet for his July 20 showdown with Jake Paul at Cowboys Stadium and their 2005 scrap that made McBride a big name around the world. We talk about his epic homecoming in Monaghan after he shocked the world, what he's up to now and we also introduce the 'new' Kevin McBride - his son Kevin, an accomplished swimmer who's dipping his toe into the boxing game in Boston. Plus we also recount his 'holiday' to Barcelona 92, his free trip home for Prizefighter and his spars with the likes of Ray Mercer, John Ruiz and Riddick Bowe. That's what's up!

Kerry boxer Kevin Cronin, AKA The Kingdom Warrior, is feeling excited ahead of a double debut on Paddy's weekend. He's off to Dorchester, Mass, for his US bow, which is also the first outing of a deal he's signed with new promoters Conlan Boxing. Here, Kevin talks about his GAA background, working as a firefighter and The Rocky Road he's navigated through Irish boxing to get to this point. What was once the dream has now become a realistic ambition as he targets a homecoming bout at the INEC in Killarney later this year. And after that, one of the GAA stadiums in the Kingdom will do nicely, thank you.

Spike O'Sullivan drops by the pod this week ahead of March madness. St Paddy's weekend is looking like one of Irish boxing's busiest ever with fighters in action from Boston to Brisbane via New York, San Francisco, Birmingham, Galway and Castlebar. That's where Spike will be taking part in his comeback bout as he kicks off The Last Dance chapter of his storied career. Here, he talks about the buzz of a dressing room before a fight - channeling nerves, getting the hands wrapped and waiting to clobber flesh and bone. He also talks about the rising stars of the scene, sartorial tips from the mother in law and the nasty injury he picked up while playing football with his kids