Sutherlands gym form has trainer purring
IT S unusual for Hackney s high profile trainer Brian Lawrence to get very excited, but he is certainly highly delighted with the latest boxer entrusted to him. The Clapton man, who has guided his friend and neighbour Ian Napa to both a British and Europe
IT'S unusual for Hackney's high profile trainer Brian Lawrence to get very excited, but he is certainly highly delighted with the latest boxer entrusted to him.
The Clapton man, who has guided his friend and neighbour Ian Napa to both a British and European bantamweight title, has a burgeoning stable and his latest addition has Lawrence purring.
He is reported as to becoming a positive telephone pest to promoter Frank Maloney about the early gym form of Ireland's Olympic bronze medallist from the Beijing Games, Darren Sutherland.
Sutherland turned pro with the Maloney organisation last month and will make his professional debut in his home city of Dublin on December 18.
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Sutherland fights a six round super-middleweight contest against Buglarian Georgi Iliev on a Maloney Promotions bill at the City University.
Iliev has one recorded fight to date in Ireland, stopping Keith Cresham inside a round, in Limerick in July.
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Says Lawrence: "I worked with a lot of fighters over the years and Darren has the potential to be the best of the lot.
"When he spars, things in our gym stop. He has amazing balance and punches very, very hard. I think Frank Maloney has signed a very special talent and Darren will become my own masterpiece in training.''
Maloney has said several times, that Sutherland, beaten in the Olympic semi's by Britain's gold medallist James DeGale, having beaten the Harlesden boxer on three previous occasions, was the only Olympic boxer he wanted to sign.
"Brian calls me all the time telling me how good Darren is. Sometimes it's very late at night, but I sleep well as I know I've invested wisely.
"I was never interested in any of the British team, only in Darren. I'm not usually a betting man, but I'm convinced that Darren will go further as a pro than any of them.''
Top of the bill at the Maloney show in Dublin is Leicester's Rendall Monroe, who defends his European super-bantamweight against Italy's Fabricio Trotta.
Monroe, along with Hackney's Ian Napa, was a nominee for the British Boxer of the Year accolade, two weeks ago, won by Joe Calzaghe.
