EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
opportunity to generate money for the I.A.B.A by
using our Olympians to advertise boxing and to sell
out the Stadium with top Home Internationals.
KO: What advice would you give to an up and
coming fighter who has dreams of following
you and going to the Olympic Games?
Ken: I had that dream, I was eight years old when
Mick Carruth won his Gold Medal. I remember my
late coach Noel Humpson celebrating in his sitting
room that’s when my dream started. It was in my
head to get an Olympic Gold, but it was a long
distant dream in my head. My brother Willie boxed
and brought me down here to Neilstown Boxing
Club and when I started training I forgot all about
that dream. I had small targets, to win on club
shows, build from there, win the County Dublins’
then on to win the National Title, then the next
season do it all again and keep heading back to
win the Nationals. You then get noticed and
selected for the Irish team. Have an open mind and
be willing to learn and soak it all up and most
importantly enjoy it. I love going training, love
running, I just love the sport. The day you stop
enjoying it, walk away because it’s a very hard
sport and a very lonely sport. I have been on the
Irish teams since 1996 and have been blessed to
have good coaches around me and when they
brought Zuar in it was great.
I would not have won a silver medal if it wasn’t for
him, that’s a fact, but you cannot forget about the
volunteers either, the likes of Gerry Hugie and all
the lads here and around the country who come to
the gyms after doing a days work and putting in
three to four hours a night, four nights a week and
that’s where it starts from. If it wasn’t for the likes
of Gerry Hugie and all the coaches in the country
sticking in there, we wouldn’t have the boxers to
hand over to Billy and Zuar.
KO: Do you think the World Series of Boxing is
good for our top amateurs?
Ken: Well I was part of it for two seasons, Miami in
my first and I was in Germany in my second. There
was talk of it struggling but it seems to have gone
from strength to strength. It has all the top
amateurs in the world taking part. The headgear is
coming off not for the Europeans but for The World
Championships and it will make the sport more
attractive.
Medal record
Competitor for
Ireland
Men’s Boxing
2008 Olympic Games
Silver
2008 Beijing
Light-Heavyweight
European Amateur Championships
Bronze
2006 Plovdiv
Light-Heavyweight
Bronze
2010 Moscow
Light-Heavyweight
EU Amateur Championships
Gold
2005 Cagliari
Light-Heavyweight
Bronze
2006 Pecs
Light-Heavyweight
Gold
2007 Dublin
Light-Heavyweight
Gold
2008 Centriewo
Light-Heavyweight
Bronze
2009 Odense
Light-Heavyweight
2008 European Olympic Qualifying Championship
Gold
2008 Athens
9
Light-Heavyweight
MONTHLY