‘Just Win Them’ – Emotional Bobbi Flood dedicates latest Irish title win to Grandfather
By Owain Comerford
It was his ninth Irish title win but Bobbi Flood’s first at U22 level holds more sentimental value than the previous eight.
With this year’s U22 National Championships in the rearview, Irish-Boxing.com spoke with the rising Cabra Boxing Club star, following his victory over Fr Flanagan Boxing Club’s Darragh Gilroy for the 71KG Men’s Title.
The victory certainly holds sentimental value for the Inner-City Dubliner, as Flood dedicated his title win to his late grandfather, who passed away a month before they gloved off.
An emotional underage European medal winner explained how his granddad told him “Just win them” before he passed and teen wasted no time in doing so, securing his 9th Irish Title with a first-round stoppage.
The stoppage came following a cut which was the product of a lead hook, that Flood and his team had eyed up before the fight, stating “We knew he was going to come in close from sparring him a lot previously.”
Despite the bout not making it to the second round due to the stoppage, Flood, who was competing at the level for the first, didn’t throw caution to the wind, taking a calculated approach early on by “keeping him at range and keeping him behind the jab.”
Going forward unscathed from an impressive title win, Flood hopes “with a bit of luck (he’s) up for the European U22 squad” along with his Cabra Boxing Club teammate Cian Cramer.
Commending his teammates from the esteemed Cabra Boxing Club, Flood accredited his performance to “getting elite sparring every night” with his aforementioned teammate, Cramer, who the Dub stated “is one of the best in the country.”
Having previously sparred with Belfast-based professional boxer, Tyrone “The Mighty Celt” McKenna among other big name pro, the European hopeful described sparring sessions with pros as “experience you can’t buy.”
