The Rocky Road

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. 

"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.

‘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)

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.

“Jimmy is a great coach, loved him when he travelled to international training camps with Ireland, great pad man.” When you’re getting praise like this from the notoriously hard-to-please Paddy Barnes, then you must be doing something right. And today’s guest Jimmy Halpin has been doing something right for 40 years now. Before that, the young Dubliner had talent as a boxer but didn’t quite manage to match that with a bulging collection of medals, with his last fight coming in 1981 when, three years out of the ring by then, he ‘got a hiding’ when he returned for one night only on a benefit for the Stardust victims. However the lessons he learned still stand to him to this day. Jimmy is loved by his boxers and adored by other coaches, but he takes no bull either and his forthright honesty (or constructive criticism) sometimes leads to disagreements along the way. He trained Ireland’s first female fighter (and first female world champion) Deirdre Gogarty when she first walked through the doors at St Saviours in Dublin, and taught double Olympic champion Kellie Harrington many of the moves that led to her topping podiums in Tokyo and Paris. Jimmy worked his magic with Cathal O’Grady, Darren Sutherland and Emmet Brennan - Olympians all - at club level and worked alongside Billy Walsh with the Irish high performance team for over a decade. Now, at 72, he’s still giving back as a volunteer, touring clubs all over Dublin, mainly, and giving pointers to coaches and boxers alike. As he says, his mission was to create universal boxers before there was even a term for it. His passion for boxing is infectious and as Jimmy says, once you’re in the club - whether you’re a novice or a potential world champion - you’re deserving of his time, and he’ll strive to help you improve. As for the best fighter he worked with during his time in Ireland? I’ll give you a clue - it’s someone who’s got the full set of medals, anyway. 

Kellie McLoughlin is a three-time Irish champion boxer who’s looking to make the breakthrough to win her first Elite crown. Standing in her way is two-time Olympian Michaela Walsh, who’s ruled her division in Ireland with an iron fist for over a decade. But with McLoughlin and featherweight rival Kelsey Leonard determined to unseat Walsh this year, will there be a changing of the guard in this corner of Irish boxing? McLoughlin is certainly a fighter and she sat down with The Rocky Road to detail her incredible story of survival. There was no trigger for her mental health crisis but when it hit her, it hit her hard. She and her loving family tried everything; from sessions with Pieta House to medication, hospitalisation and electroconvulsive therapy. Eventually, McLoughlin went home and attempted to rebuild her life, and her boxing career. That year, 2019, she won two Irish titles and immediately set her sights on a slot at Paris 2024. But a combination of Covid and Walsh’s form holding tight meant the Belfast boxer became a double Olympian, with McLoughlin still striving to make the breakthrough. Is this her year? Boxer of the tournament at the Emerald Box Cup, winner of two bouts in America on the Bridges Beyond Boxing programme, she’s entering these championships full of confidence and ready to make a dent, trained by the master Jimmy Halpin and his assistant coach Paul Griffin. With guardian angel Sean Carton on her shoulder, she might just do it. This is an incredibly powerful episode and I was left speechless on a number of occasions as the brilliant McLoughlin told her story in expressive detail.  If you have been affected by anything discussed on this podcast, please contact the Samaritans on 1850 609 090 or Pieta House on 01 6010000.

One kid’s named after former world heavyweight champ Joe Frazier, another’s named after… Irish Olympian Jude Gallagher. That’s Kieran Farrell, a boxing man to his bones, and this week’s guest on The Rocky Road. After Manchester Irishman Liam Gallagher had warmed up the 96000 raving punters at Wembley a few weeks ago, Daniel Dubois marched into the ring and pulled off a superb upset win over Anthony Joshua and walked off with the IBF heavyweight world title. Another Manchester Irishman, Farrell, was a key man in his camp throughout and was seen buzzing about the canvas in the aftermath of Dubois’ destruction of AJ. What a story Kieran has. A former professional fighter whose career was cut short by a brain injury following a 2012 Manchester derby with Anthony Crolla, he’s a boxing lifer who picked up where he left off on the other side of the ropes. He’s a manager, a promoter and a trainer and when his world title dreams were heartbreakingly culled as a boxer, he vowed to get there in his new role – and guide a fighter to championship glory. But, as we hear in Part 1, dirty nappies have taken centre stage for now…

This week’s guest is doing things a bit back to front. Mostly boxers will finish their careers before going into the media – but Lurgan man Lee Gormley has done it the other way around. Lee has a degree in sports journalism and has covered the bloody business for outlets such as the Boxing News and Boxing Monthly. That passion for boxing ultimately led to him putting on the gloves as an amateur – and now he’s about to have his fifth professional fight. Bolton-based Lee’s back out on November 9 at the Sunderland Live Arena as he looks to build towards BUI Celtic and Irish title shots. Here, he tells The Rocky Road about the fighters that inspired him, why Carl Frampton is a hero of his and how boxing for real informs his work as a journalist in the field.