The Rocky Road

Ryan Burnett reckons the secret to his boxing success was always asking, 'Why?' A superb athlete who could carry out instructions to the letter, he was also a sponge, capable of remembering and repeating the guidance he was given. That saw him rise to the top of boxing, ultimately becoming the first Irishman to unify world titles, and now it's led to him becoming one of the most sought-after coaches on the island right at the beginning of his journey as a cornerman. Here, in Part 1 of our interview with the former world bantamweight champ, we discuss his start in boxing, being a lone wolf even during his time with Ireland's high performance team, making the move to turn pro under Ricky Hatton but then finding out professional boxing wasn't all glitz and glamour. A failed brain scan, being forced to live in his car, hiding his predicament from his loved ones; nothing was going to stop Burnett from chasing his dream of making a life for himself and his family through boxing. 

Anto Cacace is the feel-good story of Irish pro boxing this year. Or any other year to be fair. He's always had class but Cacace has never had much luck, with every step forward followed by the inevitable three steps back. Until now. His victory over the undefeated Joe Cordina in Riyadh in May was an unforgettable moment for Cacace and his supporters everywhere. We believe it was one of the most electrifying performances any Irish boxer has put in for a very long time. This is Cacace's third time on The Rocky Road and after hearing about the struggles he's endured in the last two, the hat-trick episode is more of a celebration. We rewatch the highlights video with Anto, and the clips of fellow Belfast man, former sparring partner and big supporter Carl Frampton, going nuts in the venue while working for TNT Sports. We talk about how life has changed since capturing the belt, his incredible homecoming in Andytown and the mural that's sprung up across the road from his mother's house - with Anto, of course, delivering McDonalds down to the painters while they daubed him all over the walls. Of course, there's still serious business ahead - as Cacace defends his belt against Josh Warrington at Wembley on September 21. 

Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with rising star Pierce O'Leary. Last time we took a stroll around the Docklands as Big Bang told us all about growing up in Sheriff Street and his desire to become even more of a local hero. In this episode we sat down to talk about his career so far which has taken him to the brink of world title honours. Here Pierce discusses his dream fights, beating Darragh Foley last time out in a derby bout, boxing while sick with food poisoning and his enduring love for horses, which has been handed down through the generations on Sheriff Street. 

This week we're in Sheriff Street in Dublin's capital for Part 1 of an interview with local hero Pierce O'Leary. We take a walk around with unbeaten world title hopeful Big Bang while he spends some time at home between fight dates. Pierce talks about his love for the community, the pride he feels for the area and the drive it gives him to dig deep in his toughest battles. Once the bustling heartland of Dublin's Docklands, industrialisation took its toll and the area became run-down and crime-ridden. To outsiders, the name Sheriff Street became synonymous with lawlessness and criminality - but the community has always stuck together and produced people who've made a significant contribution to Ireland, from Sean O'Casey to Luke Kelly to Jim Sheridan, along with boxing idols like previous podcast guest Gus Farrell and now O'Leary. As we walk around, it's hard to ignore the rapid pace of development in the Docklands. It's changed even since Pierce was a kid and it's not been without controversy. Locals have voiced concern about the loss of community identity, lack of affordable housing, threat of gentrification and the prioritisation of commercial interests over community needs. They fight for the area and they also support their fighters, as witnessed by the celebrations up the road on Killarney Street when another north inner city boxer, Kellie Harrington, brought home her second Olympic gold medal from Paris. We finish up at the statue of Luke Kelly which sits beside the Royal Canal before it enters the Liffey and Pierce allows himself to dream of a statue of himself there beside the Dubliner. Stay tuned for Part 2 where Pierce discusses his dream fights, beating Darragh Foley last time out in a derby bout, boxing while sick with food poisoning and his enduring love for horses, which has been handed down through the generations on Sheriff Street. 

Kellie Harrington is the double Olympic lightweight champion. Let's state that again. Kellie Harrington is the back-to-back Olympic champion. The first Irish boxer to reach two finals - and she won them both. Kenneth Egan joins The Rocky Road podcast today to go over her incredible journey, how she got here and where she's going. We rewatch the nine incredible minutes that saw her sail to victory over China's Yang Wenlu as the Beijing 2008 silver medallist goes over what it is that makes Harrington so great. He describes the butterflies that go through a fighter before an Olympic final, what it's like to be in the flow state during the Games and the difficulties that can strike after a successful tournament. We also look at the overall state of Irish and world boxing as thoughts turn to whether or not the sport will be staged at Los Angeles in 2028.

Paul Griffin was training under Brendan Ingle, alongside world featherweight champ Prince Naseem Hamed, promoted by Frank Warren and about to put his unbeaten record on the line. Then the Dean Pithie fight happened and suddenly it seemed like the prince of Dublin boxing was set for the scrapheap. No longer needed by the fight bosses, and with the lure of the party life back home proving too strong, he took off to Australia to get away from it all. There, he had ten fights - along with a few too many bouts of inactivity - and here, Paul fills in the blanks on some of those forgotten years, while talking about his inspirational recovery to get to where he is today - coaching the next generation of talented young Dubs.

We love Paul Griffin here at The Rocky Road. He's been on twice before - for the 30th anniversary of his epic 1991 European gold medal, and 30 years on from Barcelona 92, alongside medallists Michael Carruth and Wayne McCullough. Now he joins us for a deep dive on his 15-year professional career across a two-part episode. He started out under Frank Warren on a 'Prince' Naseem Hamed card in Scotland, going on to train in Sheffield with the world featherweight champ under fellow Dubliner Brendan Ingle. Paul tells us about sparring Hamed and feeling his frightening power, boxing on Steve Collins undercards at Pairc Ui Chaoimh and Millstreet alongside contemporaries Eamonn Magee and Jim Rock, and building an unbeaten record that would ultimately be popped in a do-or-die title fight with Dean Pithie in England. By that stage, Paul was battling inside and outside of the ropes as his addictions to gambling and alcohol started to take hold. As always, spending time with Paul is fun, cathartic and informative. His recollection is superb so enjoy as he walks you through the 90s boxing scene. Stay tuned for Part 2 as Paul heads Down Under to spearhead the Irish boxing revolution in Australia that ended up with the likes of Dennis Hogan and TJ Doheny reaching the top. 

Michael Conlan is not leaving. After a devastating 2023 in which he lost his second world title shot to Luis Alberto Lopez - followed by defeat against Jordan Gill in Belfast - he seriously considered hanging up the gloves. However he refreshed his mind and body by joining a running club and ran a sub-three hour marathon, he realised he had more to offer the boxing game. Conlan is now between trainers and is trialling some new cornermen as he awaits a bounce-back fight towards the end of the year. He opens up about the pain of defeat, controlling the ego, making tracks as a manager and the determination he has to underline line his legacy by bowing out with a world championship in his locker. Conlan also talks about his admiration for Pierce O'Leary, the rocky road taken by Anthony Cacace to world title glory, Kevin Cronin's progress in the pro ranks and the potential blockbuster bout between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan. We also discuss Ireland's chances at the Paris Olympics.

From July 27 to August 10, we'll be all about Olympic boxing once again. Ireland will send a 10-strong team to Paris 2024 with every boxer there dreaming of a place on top of the podium to follow in the footsteps of Michael Carruth, Katie Taylor and Kellie Harrington.In this episode I'm sitting down with middleweight Aoife O'Rourke and bantamweight Jenny Lehane. O'Rourke, from Roscommon, is about to arrive at her second Games. The four-time European champion is one of Ireland's most under-the-radar athletes but she wouldn't have it any other way. Meath teacher Lehane has put her career on hold to focus on boxing. And after securing her place at Paris 2024, the gamble has already paid off. Both of our guests started off focusing on other sports - O'Rourke on ladies football, Lehane on taekwondo - but will travel with high hopes of taking home boxing hardware.