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The Rocky Road

Ireland's boxers at the LA 84 Olympics - border patrol, mass shootings and Vidal Sassoon

Season 1, Ep. 20

Tommy Corr, Sam Story and Phil Sutcliffe join Kevin Byrne to look back at their Olympic adventure in LA in 1984. The lads discuss the old amateur days. missing a mass-shooting in McDonalds and Vidal Sassoon cutting their hair.

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  • 3. Stephen Ormond - A New Era Begins

    30:25||Season 6, Ep. 3
    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.
  • 2. Lewis Crocker v Paddy Donovan - Team Crocker

    33:10||Season 6, Ep. 2
    The hugely anticipated Irish domestic clash between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan is only weeks away and we've caught up with both camps ahead of the epic clash in Belfast in March. On this episode, we chat with Lewis Crocker, Jamie Conlan and Billy Nelson.
  • 1. Lewis Crocker v Paddy Donovan - Team Donovan

    34:24||Season 6, Ep. 1
    The hugely anticipated Irish domestic fight between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan is only weeks away and we've caught up with both camps ahead of the epic clash in Belfast in March. First up, we chat with Paddy Donovan, Andy Lee and Jason Quigley.
  • 44. 2024 Irish Boxing Year in Review

    01:14:26||Season 5, Ep. 44
    Happy Christmas from all of us at The Rocky Road! It's been a big year for the podcast and to round out the campaign, here's our 2024 Year in Review show. Tommy Hyde and Terry O'Neill are back in harness to go over the Irish Fighter, Fight, Knockout and Trainer of the Year. We also discuss the biggest Gutpunch of 2024, the good, bad and ugly of the amateur season and look ahead to some major moves in 2025. Thanks to everyone who's joined us this year on the show, tuned in or helped out along with the fighters, coaches, fans and volunteers who make #IrishBoxing what it is today. 
  • 43. Oleksandr Usyk - The Greatest of his Time

    29:15||Season 5, Ep. 43
    What more can be said about the genius of Oleksandr Usyk? The Ukrainian got the better of Tyson Fury in their heavyweight championship rematch in Riyadh on Saturday night - this time by unanimous decision. Just as their first battle in May was, this was a thrilling fight, with ebbs and flows, momentum swings, and a force of nature – in the form of Usyk – who just couldn’t be denied in the second half of the contest. What a championship fighter this guy is. Joining us on The Rocky Road to discuss the event are rising Cork boxer Tommy Hyde, who was in Saudi Arabia for the superfight, and actor/comedian and former Ireland international boxer Terry O’Neill.
  • 42. Jay Byrne - Making Fights

    01:25:51||Season 5, Ep. 42
    Jay Byrne is a former Irish boxer and current manager, trainer and promoter. Having just put on his seventh show in just over 12 months in Dublin, he's currently the most prolific fight fixer in the country. Here, he joins The Rocky Road to tell us about the angry young man he once was, how he matured and why he now finds contentment in helping others, be it inside or outside of the ring. Jay discusses his 19-fight career, having boxed the best of British at the start of his career live on Sky Sports, to seeking domestic glories back home with some explosive derby duels. They're now the focus of his promotional career as he looks to build a healthy and entertaining scene in Irish boxing, all the while collaborating with his colleagues who head up rival promotional teams. 
  • 41. Podge and Rod

    59:52||Season 5, Ep. 41
    "Look, his mother was all over the shop, I had to ring Paschal, Spike, Craig O’Brien, right, and Big Niall Kennedy, ‘Do us a favour lads, will you explain to his mother, he’s not going to be in an intensive care unit after the fight this weekend’." Joining us today on The Rocky Road are father-and-son duo Roddy and Podge Collins. Podge is now a professional boxer, making his debut in October when he knocked out Gianluca Di Florio in the first round at the National Stadium. He talks about his strange lack of nerves ahead of and during the battle while Roddy, a well-known football manager, was aghast at that as he saw so many big-name players turning to jelly on the big occasion. Together they talk us through the famous fighting family’s history, brother Steve’s (or Stephen’s) major title victories, memories from Las Vegas to Millstreet and the long-term goal for Podge’s career as he embarks on a boxing journey with uncle Paschal by his side as trainer/manager. He also talks about how boxing has changed his life after a year in which he's lost 6st and shed his unhappy side to find joy in the roughest, toughest sport there is. Brought to you from the Celtic Warriors Gym, its walls adorned with photographs of boxing legends from Muhammad Ali to Marvin Hagler, Roddy may have made his name in the beautiful game but this is a story of the fight business like no other. Podge returns on Friday night at the Red Cow Hotel’s Warehouse for fight No 2 on a card promoted by Jay Byrne, a fight fixer Roddy insists must be supported in his determination to boost Irish boxing and its combatants.
  • 40. Katie Taylor - Bray Bomber Wins Again

    31:06||Season 5, Ep. 40
    ‘This how she fight – head down, balls to the wall!’ Roy Jones Jr is on The Rocky Road this week as we reflect on the epic second fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fight in Texas. Taylor won the day – again – to retain her undisputed world light-welterweight crown. But did she deserve to get the nod? And, after having a point docked for use of the head, and seeing the eye injury Serrano was forced to fight with, we ask Roy the question – is Katie Taylor a dirty fighter? We also discuss the potential trilogy fight, where and when that might happen and why Taylor got the nod in No2. You’ll find that Hall of Famer Captain Hook, who commentated for the bout on Netflix, gives Taylor’s hooking skills the Roy-al seal of approval. (Podcast image credit: @terrythesnapper)
  • 39. Kieran Farrell - The Story So Far

    40:33||Season 5, Ep. 39
    Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with Kieran Farrell. In Part 1 we spoke about his part in Daniel Dubois’ stunning destruction of Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium, how he came to work with the heavyweight knockout artist and where he thinks DDD is going next. Here, Kieran talks about growing up in Heywood, also known as Monkey Town (you’ll find out why, and there’s an Irish connection). Kieran has an Irish connection of his own, with his people coming from here, and he found boxing at an early age and quickly got to know the big dogs on the Manchester scene, from Michael Gomez to Ricky Hatton. His bout with another Manchester idol, Anthony Crolla, changed his life. Farrell said he’d die for the English belt, and he almost did. The young boxer suffered a subdural hematoma during the fight and was rushed to hospital, where the doctors removed 30 per cent of his brain during life-saving surgery. Farrell, who’d become a dad for the first time just two weeks previously, earned just two grand for the fight. At the time Farrell was boxing out of John Breen’s Gym in Belfast, where he’d worked alongside the likes of Paul McCloskey, the Conlan brothers and Andy Murray. He retains a link to the island to this day and his story is the epitome of The Rocky Road. I'd say he'd do it all again if he could.