O’SHEA PUNCHES OVER ILLNESS
TOWNSVILLE boxer Lachlan O’Shea has revealed he was battling more than just his opponent as he launched his professional career with a bang at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
O’Shea scored a sensational fourth- round knockout win over Ben Horn – the younger brother of main eventer Jeff – as he launched a flurry of wild punches that left his rival trapped on the ropes.
It was a dream debut for the 25- year- old, who was hand- picked by the Horn camp given his lack of experience, but O’Shea has maintained that they didn’t consider his fighting spirit.
O’Shea has been taking cold and flu tablets since last Monday to overcome what he believes is a chest infection, but he said he was never going to let his big chance slip away.
“I went in feeling sick; my legs sort of started giving way halfway through the first round,” O’Shea said. “I told ( trainer) Dennis ( Clancy) and he said ‘ you’ve just got to push through it’, and then I saw him ( Horn) running out of steam … Once I got that nice shot on him with the right I smelled blood.
“It was a bit of a sluggish fight but I felt like I showed a lot of heart.”
Dennis Clancy lauded the young fighter’s composure, saying he could easily have been overawed by the occasion, especially given he was also illness.
“For a young boxer to have a debut on a card like that, it’s a dream,” Clancy said.
“Then to pull off a stoppage, it’s incredible for him.
“He was a $ 7.50 underdog; you don’t put a North Queensland fighter on those sort of odds. struggling with
“He kept himself together really well.
“Even when you’re a bit sore and felling a little crook, you just have to push through it in a fight like that.”
O’Shea hadn’t fought for about a year before stepping in the ring against Horn but the Hawks Boxing Gym’s newest star said he was now more motivated than ever to pursue a pro career.
“I’m looking at another fight in February,” O’Shea said. “I hadn’t had a fight for about a year leading into this one and I only got off the couch and started training a few months ago.
“I’m pretty keen what I can do.” to see