Ирландын боксчин Бобби Флад наймдугаар сарын 1-нд Дублин хотын 3Arena-д тулалдахаар төлөвлөж байгаа бөгөөд үүний дараа есдүгээр сарын 5-нд Кроук Парк цэнгэлдэхэд Кэти Тэйлорын үдлийн тулааны хөтөлбөрт багтан рингэнд гарах гэж байна.
21 настай тамирчин Кэти Тэйлорыг 2012 оны Лондонгийн олимпод түрүүлсний дараах баярт оролцож байснаа дурсаад, өдгөө түүний тоглолтын өмнөх тулаанд гарах болсондоо сэтгэл хангалуун байгаагаа илэрхийлжээ. Флад бага наснаасаа ээж болон өвөөгөө алдсан хүнд хэцүү үеүүдийг боксын бэлтгэлээр дамжуулан даван туулж ирсэн бөгөөд спортыг сэтгэл зүйн хувьд тогтвортой байх гол хэрэгсэл хэмээн үздэг байна.
Тэрээр олимпын аварга болохыг зорьж байсан ч жингийн ангилалд гарсан өөрчлөлтүүдээс шалтгаалан сонирхогчдын боксоос мэргэжлийн бокс руу эрт шилжих шийдвэр гаргажээ. Одоо тэрээр мэргэжлийн боксын дэлхийн аваргын бүсийг эзэмших зорилго тавин Ливерпүүл хотод дасгалжуулагч Стивен Смитийн удирдлага дор бэлтгэлээ базааж байна.
Ливерпүүлд бэлтгэл хийх нь Каомин Агьярко, Жон Жое Карриган зэрэг чадварлаг боксчидтой спарринг хийх боломжийг олгож байгаа юм. Дасгалжуулагч Смитийн зүгээс боксчдоо гэр бүлийн хүн мэт анхаарал халамж тавьдаг нь түүний ур чадвараа ахиулахад ихээхэн нөлөөлж байна.
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Bobbi Flood has committed to a busy two months, culminating in a slot on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s farewell fight at Croke Park, Dublin, on September 5.
Before that, the 21-year-old must take care of business on August 1, featuring on the undercard of Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain at Dublin’s 3Arena.
At the same time, though, it is impossible to ignore what lies beyond his third professional outing, especially with Flood telling Boxing News that he remembers celebrating Taylor’s success in 2012.
“It’s going to be really special. After winning gold at the London Olympics, Katie came back to Bray [Ireland] and did an open-top bus tour.
“I remember going down to see her back then, so to now be fighting on her undercard, at Croke Park, is just mental.”
Around a year after witnessing one of Ireland’s most decorated athletes, Flood was struck with grief following the passing of his mum.
Even now, the Queensberry prospect uses boxing as a coping mechanism, pushing aside his emotions – even if just momentarily – while he pounds the bag and smashes the pads.
“Boxing’s always been my gateway away from the emotional stuff. With me missing my ma, boxing’s always kept me busy.
“And when I lost my granddad two years ago, I ended up winning a national title. Boxing’s just my way of coping.”
The national title Flood speaks of is just one of his many amateur accolades, while the ultimate goal was always to claim Olympic gold.
Due to a slight change to the light-middleweight limit, however, the Dubliner decided to turn pro a little sooner than expected.
“The goal was always to become an Olympic champion but, with the weights changing, it wasn’t meant to be. So now I want to become a world champion in the pro game.
“With them changing the weight class from 71 to 70kg, that 1kg was too hard to get off when you’re holding the weight for so long. And 80kg was just too big of a jump.”
While initially gutted to abandon his Olympic dream, it was perhaps a blessing in disguise that Flood turned pro as early as he did.
He has, after all, managed to develop a tight bond with head coach Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith, building a strong foundation from which to fine-tune his skills in Liverpool.
“I couldn’t be happier training with ‘Swifty’. He treats all of his boxers like his own kids, which is crazy because he must have about 20 kids running around.
“Away from the gym, I just keep myself busy with this little fella [picks up a dog]. He keeps me busy enough, cleaning up his p**s and s**te.”
One of the benefits to training in Liverpool is Flood’s access to top-class sparring, allowing him to share rounds with the likes of Caoimhin Agyarko and fellow amateur standout John Joe Carrigan.
