‘I come to win ‘ – Senior Champ Darren O’Connor targets Elite crown
Darren O’Connor isn’t happy to take part and takes a ‘here to take over’ mantra into the National Elite Championships next month.
The Olympic Galway boxer, who only started to study the sweet science in 2019, has enjoyed a rise through the ranks that led to National Senior success last weekend.
Heis now determined to ensure that fast-paced accession doesn’t end there and wants to upgrade to Elite Champion by November 11.
The University World Championship bronze medal winner and first man to complete a Junior, Intermediate and Elite University hat-trick has entered the Elites at 63.5kg, a weight division that includes Olympian Dean Clancy as well as International JP Hale, ready to win.
“I’m coming for that, title number 3. I don’t come to participate I go to win,” he tells Irish-boxing.com.
O’Connor was speaking after claiming the Senior crown. The Galway man got the decision over St John Bosco’s Charles McDonagh after the fight was stopped in the first round for a cut.
It’s not the way he wanted to win the final but he is adamant he earned his title and was confident he was going to win the fight regardless.
“The medal was earned in hard work and preparation. I was confident that I’d have the skill and the preparation to beat any opponent and come home with gold. I didn’t come here for anything but gold.
“We came and got four wins and that was always the plan. [The final didn’t play out] like I wanted because I wanted to show what I can do but in my mind, it was only ever going to end one way.”
