INTRODUCING – ‘The Bounce Back Kid’ Stephen Dowdall
A unique story in Irish boxing begins in Singapore this Saturday afternoon and will have a happy, and fittingly unique, Asian title-winning ending claims the man who’s about to write it.
Chapter one of Stephen Dowdall’s pro tale gloves off on a KBX card at the Fight Pro Motion Gym when he fights Indonesian Mario Frengky Bere over six rounds.
It’s a new stat, although far from the beginning of the 34-year-old’s boxing journey – and that aligned with a storied well-traveled existence and Asian title desire makes things all the more interesting.
The Cork debutant has been in and out of boxing, in and out of gyms in various parts of the world and has had to recover from a tumour before eventually looking to make a pro bow.
Singapore is a long way from Cork and the Asian scene miles off the Irish amateur circuit and there has been a lot of travelling in between.
“I started boxing at 14 for Rylane in Cork. I won an Irish Senior University title at 18 for UCC. That was around the time of the recession so there weren’t many opportunities for jobs,” he begins once upon a time style, when speaking to Irish-boxing.com.
“That meant I didn’t really have enough money to stay in college nor the inclination to if I’m honest, so I gave the boxing up for a good few years.
“I came back, finished the degree at about 24 and when I graduated I moved to Spain. I trained with [Hoang] Sang Nguyen over there, he was pro and a European champion. I was a bit too used to drinking too much and not being very dedicated or consistent at that time so I didn’t think turning pro was something that was possible.”
A pro dream developed when ‘The Bounce Back Kid’ got a glimpse of the Australian scene after he moved Down Under at 28. However, a dramatic health scare put paid to any vest-ditching hopes.
“I went to a few pro fights and thought, ‘I used to be better than a lot of them’. I ended up at a gym called Big Rigs and was meant to fight in Perth but I got a tumour the size of a bleedin’ pint glass, so had to get an operation. The recovery has taken this long and I’m only shape and in shape again now.”
Now that he is in shape and in Singapore, Dowdall is ready to launch a pro career and is keen to start mining titles.
“I used to work in mining underground, gold and all that, but hated the culture and always yearned to go back boxing. At least in the ring you know the other fellas trying to take your head off. It’s very honest unlike the corporate shite I was dealing with. So, I guess the idea never really left me, just couldn’t drop it. I got in contact with a few pros over in Singapore and asked them where was the best place to train. I walked into one of the gyms and moved into a room in one of the lads’ apartments,” he adds.
“I walked into Fight Promotion Gym in Singapore, spoke with the coach trained for a day, he said I’m in and now we’re heading for an Asian title and to climb the ranks as quickly as we can.”
