O’shea rises above to claim state belt
EVERY week Lachlan O’shea will have his work days stretch to 20 hours.
Between his boxing pursuits, personal training, caring for his family and work as a nightclub venue manager, finding balance was an initial struggle for the Townsville pugilist.
But when he had the Queensland Welterweight belt strapped around his waist on Saturday night, all those sacrifices at last were justified.
O’shea claimed the title over the previously undefeated David Chand by unanimous decision in what was the first eight-round bout of his career.
Since his victory he said there was an extra strut to his
step. Having trained for so long alongside the likes of Australasian welterweight champion Tysinn Best and Demsey Mckean – who is in the UK training with megastar Anthony Joshua – he felt humbled with each sparring session.
Now he has his own belt, and it has come from finding balance in a hectic lifestyle.
It has been a tumultuous road at times for O’shea to reach the plateaus he has. Having lost his father at a young age, before relocating to the Gold Coast to care for his ill mother, there was a gamut of reasons for O’shea to throw in the towel. He never did.
Waking up sore and weary on Sunday morning, the North Queensland sensation
was still elated.
When he first moved, O’shea said the Queensland belt was one of the first goals he planned to accomplish.
Now that he had achieved that, there was a spring in his step driving him to success.
“It’s something when I first moved to the Gold Coast we wanted to work towards. I had been mentally trying to prepare for it and work towards it, but now it’s happened it’s a little different,” O’shea said. “I have a strut around the gym now. We have champions there, and now I join them.
“I wouldn’t say I’m on their level … they’re definitely still ahead, but it’s good to try and follow in those steps.
“They push me along and encourage me, and it helps to
be rubbing shoulders with champions.”
O’shea’s title triumph has opened the doors for him to make an impression on the national stage and beyond.
Now ranked 10th in the world among welterweights, he is aiming to contest for an Australian title in the near future.
O’shea signalled a warning to any forthcoming rival he may face: he is yet to scratch the surface of his potential.
Such has been the ferocity of his training, O’shea has laid a foundation in his craft which ensures if he does not perform to his expectations he has a strong base to fall back on.
Given he said he did not believe he had ever fought a
near perfect fight, including in his win over Chand, it sounds ominous for those he may cross. And he is eager to get back in the ring soon.
“I had so much nervous energy (on Saturday), I’d been burning all day so I felt flat before getting in the ring,” O’shea said. “I definitely did drop down to my base level and I didn’t get to perform as much as I wanted maybe. I feel like if you can do it in sparring you can do it when the camera is on.
“There’s a bit more energy in the air when you fight. As long as my training is done right it doesn’t matter if I don’t perform out of my skin. If the work is being done you win before you get in there. I finally understand what that’s about now.”