‘Emotional’ and ‘Scared’ – Thomas O’Toole Reveals John Cooney News Prompted his Referee Roar
John Cooney was at the forefront of Thomas O’Toole‘s thoughts when he yelled at the referee mid-barrage during his most recent win.
O’Toole turned and shouted for the man in the middle to step in as he let shots fly in the direction of a hurt James Perkins in Boston just over a week ago.
Speaking to Irish-boxing.com after the win, the Celtic Eagles graduate admitted he got emotional and even a little scared upon seeing his opponent out on his feet and wanted the referee to intervene to ensure his opponent’s safety.
“I saw my opponent was out and I got a little emotional. I landed an extra punch or two and just jumped back and screamed for the ref. With everything that had just happened, it did scare me,” a very honest O’Toole explains.
Perkins was ripe to be stopped and hurt, but he hadn’t taken sustained or unnecessary punishment. O’Toole’s reaction had more to do with the fact that he had Cooney’s passing on his mind.
‘The Connemara Kid’ had to climb through the ropes just hours after his county man’s tragic death was confirmed.
The 27-year-old admits the news affected him before and during the Boston bill topper.
“It was definitely hard to fight. I found out a couple of hours before my fight, so I approached my promoter and asked him if we could pay tribute to John.
“I didn’t know him as well as others but I had trained with him for a small stint and he’s only a year older than me, so it really hit home how dangerous this sport is and how it can all end in an instant.
“We are just chasing dreams you don’t want anyone getting hurt. I don’t anyways.”
The Galway man secured win number 13 on an emotional night and had his hand raised in front of a strong Boston crowd.
He is reviling in the East Coast base and feels he now has momentum from which to progress toward a ranking title.
“Boston is home for me now. I love this city, between Galway and Boston, I’m blessed to have two great fan bases.
“We are going to keep busy this year. I want to continue to get the right fights and hopefully win a ranking title in the next few months.”
O’Toole’s super middleweight rivals, Emmet Brennan and Kevin Cronin will trade leather in Madison Square Garden on March 16.
The Westerner may take a trip to the Garden to watch what he believes will be an entertaining battle.
“We will see I might make an appearance. It’s definitely an exciting fight,” he adds before making a cheeky attempt at applying pressure.
“It’s a fight both guys need to win to progress.”
