REACHING FOR GLORY
Ambitious Donovan is out to spread the boxing gospel
‘I’d love to come home and fight in Kildare’
ERIC DONOVAN has a clear vision of what would constitute a perfect Saturday evening — fighting for the European featherweight title in his native Kildare with live television cameras beaming the bout into the nation’s living rooms.
He doesn’t think he’s a dreamer. After all, he will be part of history in Waterford tonight as his seventh professional bout will be part of the first card in that city since 1945. The event at WIT Arena also features hometown hero Craig McCarthy, recent sparring partner of Chris Eubank jr. It is the first time there has been a bill outside Dublin and Belfast in more than three years. Ring Kings, the promoters, believe the sport can thrive outside its two main hubs on this island.
Donovan’s stomping ground has been the National Stadium since entering the paid ranks, So when he takes on Hungarian journeyman Ignac Kassai, he’ll step out of his comfort zone. But it will also show what is possible.
‘It is great to be going to a new venue, stepping out of my home base. And it is great to be part of the first show in so long in Waterford. It is a great city, a city that is very passionate about their sport,’ says the affable 32-year-old Athy native.
‘But I would love to come home and fight in Kildare. It has been even longer since there has been a pro card there, you might have even to go back to Dan Donnelly’s day two centuries ago, Donnelly’s Hollow and all that. But I really believe I can bring boxing back to the county.’
If Donovan is to bring boxing to Kildare, he will have to do it by himself. He’s a free agent in boxing terms. He doesn’t have his own promoter which means he manages every facet of his own career. And he does that while juggling a full-time job with his health & fitness business.
‘Yeah, I am selling the tickets, being my own chef, meeting fans. To be honest, I would love if some promoter took a chance on me and came on board. I would love if Eddie Hearn or Frank Warren gave me a ring and set me on a path towards the European title and world title contention. I would love to have nothing to do every day but train. But I have two kids and a business to run and pay taxes.’
If, as expected, Donovan deals with Kassai, his goal for 2018 will be to add the Irish featherweight title to his Celtic crown and work his way up the European rankings.
‘The ultimate goal is to become the European featherweight champion, because I don’t see a featherweight in Europe that I would be worried about. Even looking at Lee Selby and Josh Warrington in their world title bout, I believe I could get in the ring with either of them. But I’m realistic, too. I know have to work my way up the ladder and it is a long way to the top. But I don’t have any doubts that I will get there and fight for a European title.’
Spain’s Marc Vidal is the current European champion and he has a title defence scheduled against Kiko Martinez, Bernard Dunne’s former nemesis, but Donovan clearly has Vidal in his cross-hairs. And he will have the whole support of Ireland’s tightly-knit boxing community as he tries to get there. Donovan has been one of the most popular fighters in the country for years. A five-time national amateur champion who is known as being Katie Taylor’s regular sparring partner during their time together in the IABA High Performance programme, Donovan missed out on qualification for two Olympics and saw friends such as Taylor, Kenneth Egan and Paddy Barnes go on to win medals.
‘Not making the Olympics is not something that eats away at me or keeps me up at night. Of course I wish I had qualified but I’m not bitter about it. It didn’t happen for me. I have accepted that and moved on.
‘The decision to turn professional wasn’t made because I didn’t make the Olympics. I did it because I wanted to be happy with how my career finishes. I had my ups and downs within the amateur ranks. When I was on fire, I was really on fire but there were times when I took my eye off the ball and that didn’t go so well for me.
‘But I am boxing now as well as I have ever boxed, and I am doing it having banked an awful lot of experience in the ring. I am enjoying this and it is about closing the book with a happy ending. I didn’t want to live with this idea that I wouldn’t take the opportunity. If I didn’t at least try in the pro ranks, that would have tormented me.’
For his last bout, Donovan called on the assistance of an old friend in Andy Lee. The former world middleweight champion was unavailable to prepare him for this bout, but Donovan called another old friend, who is also a southpaw, in Kenneth Egan.
‘Andy wasn’t involved this time, he had something else going on but Kenneth came in to help me out. And those two lads have been great. Any time that I have needed assistance, they have been there
for me. And they are both southpaws too, like me, so anything they tell me is a benefit to me.’
Lee came on board last time when Donovan’s long-time trainer Dom O’Rourke was precluded from working with him after becoming IABA president, but Gerry Storey senior and junior are still involved in coaching him.
Likeable and articulate with a good story to tell, Donovan is an example of how Irish boxers tend to be comfortable in the media glare. But the problem is, that glare doesn’t fall on the fight game too often, which makes the current media ban by the MTK Global stable counter-productive.
The ban has been a talking point in Ireland’s small and closely-knit boxing community for the past week. Donovan points out that there is little benefit to the ban.
‘It is hard because the professional boxing community is small. And the only articles I have seen written on Irish MTK fighters by the small, dedicated group of boxing journalists in this country have been positive and only focus on boxing.
‘The sport has a small, tightlyknit community and we have to fight for all the exposure and profile that we can get. The other sports, the mainstream sports of GAA, rugby and soccer, are always going to grab all the attention. That’s the way it always has been.
‘Boxing is a working-class sport and we always have to battle hard for any kind of exposure, fight for any small bit of recognition we can get. But we will keep fighting.’
Keep fighting and keep battling the odds. Donovan shows what can be done if you want to chase your dream. ‘I am chasing this because I believe it is my calling and destiny. I have a vision of where this is going and can see the trajectory to get there.’
Supported by local businesses like Liffey Crane Hire and Osprey Hotel, Donovan has been followed around by a core group of fans whom he reckons have kept him going.
‘There’s a core group of 200 fans who have come to all my fights. That is very re-assuring, that they see something in me worth supporting.
‘But for all those fans, and my sponsors, I wouldn’t be doing this. I wouldn’t be able to be a professional fighter, It wouldn’t be feasible because I’m a free agent and it is all on a fight by fight basis. But I am going to keep plugging away to get where I believe that I will,’ Donovan states.
It’s hard to doubt him.