With all of the fanfare surrounding the division especially in Britain right now, Froch, Groves, Degale etc... How would former Irish bronze medalist Darren Sutherland have fared in the division if it were not for his tragic and untimely passing? Sutherland had some great battles with Degale in the amateurs, they were very evenly matched, I always felt Sutherland was more physically suited to the pro game given his style. How do you guys feel he compared to the others at the same stage of their careers?
I think he was the best of the bunch,his style looked more suited to the pros than Degale and Groves.Sat down on his punches alot more,I know it was a bit early to say but I think he could have been a world champion.
Agreed. Always thought he was ready made to fast track through the pro's. I would say he would have been slightly ahead of them both for mandatory positions. If he had fought them around the same time as Degale/Groves fight (11 fights in) id have him beating either of them. Shame we will never know how good he could have been.
He looked dreadful at times during his last fight. especially when he got cut. It was far too early to judge how far he would have got based on the evidence of fighting 4 men, the best of which had a 9-9 record
It's hard to know how good Sutherland could have been without his demons. Even in the Olympic Semi he didn't seem up for it and looked not too bothered when he lost. A big part of being a top fighter is what goes on between the ears. Good mental health or at least an aggressive state of mind is a must if putting your neck on the line in the ring. I still haven't got past how sad the circumstances of Darren's death were. It goes beyond boxing.
If DeGale and Groves have made it this far then he certainly could have matched and surpassed that. He was a ready made pro. Hell, he fought DeGale in the O's like a pro would. Tenacious, digging with his shots, going to the body... ...huge waste. He'd be right there with the 160-175 British lot talking about this match up and that match up.
Aside from boxing I just wish he made it further with life at all. I'm not even going to pretend I know all the details or how closely related Maloney or boxing itself was in regards to his death - but it has to be questioned when there is so much strain and demands on youngsters within sport and the help should be offered to deal with this should be improved. Just a sweeping comment... rip.
Thats nice,mate.I was impressed by his sportsmanship at the Olympics,then came across as a nice lad in his pro interviews.Obviously a real talent,more so a tragic loss of a young man.
Get these threads every so often and i always feel he would of come up short as he stepped up. I felt he looked the part but seemed to be lacking and i think the fight where he got cut sort of highlighted some technical issues he had. Good fighter but i never thought he'd become a world champion sadly. Godbless him seemed a lovely guy and would of done himself proud and already did.
I don't think he would have gone far. Mentally, he just wasn't cut out for it. If anyone saw the documentary that featured him as an amateur ('St Saviours', I think it was called), you would have saw how he exasperated his trainers. He refused to enter a national championship despite being urged to do so because he felt he wasn't ready. There were also whispers that nagging self-doubt over his career may have contributed to his suicide. Given all that, I really can't see how he would have succeeded as a pro.
For sure he was a fan favourite! ...EXCITEMENT & KNOCKOUTs in the ring! and a genuine humble nice guy outside he will be missed
