ROCKET FUEL

BACK in February 1993, I flew from Belfast to Los Angeles, fought on the 23rd, and then on the 24th I came to Las Vegas. That was 28 years ago and I have lived here ever since.

I never thought I would stay but I did. I was actually the homebody on the Irish (amateur) team. Whenever we went away on a trip, I couldn’t wait to get home again. I thought Belfast was the whole world, I really did. I travelled the world as an amateur but I always wanted to go back to Belfast.

I was young when I left Belfast. My wife was only 19 when we came here and we were just dating still. We didn’t know one person here. But we stayed in America and it was here I met and learned from the great Eddie Futch.

Eddie had seen me box at the ’92 Olympics and my manager at the time asked him if he would take me on. Eddie was 82 years old and was training Riddick Bowe and Mike McCallum but he decided to take on both me and Montell Griffin, who boxed at the same Olympic Games. That’s why I ended up in Vegas.

Under the guidance of Eddie, I was unbeaten in 19 fights as a bantamweight and won the WBC bantamweight title in 1995.

When I went to Japan to fight Yasuei Yakushiji for that WBC title, I didn’t know I was the first? I didn’t even know that.”