What does the future hold for Ireland’s golden girl Kellie?
Kellie will be inundated with offers to turn professional
OLYMPIC champion Kellie Harrington will arrive back in Dublin this afternoon and she can expect to receive a number of offers to turn professional after her stellar performance in Tokyo.
Eric Donovan, whose punditry was one of the highlights of RTE’s impressive coverage of the Games, believes the Dubliner has all the tools to succeed as a pro.
‘I presume there will be plenty of offers made to Kellie in the next few weeks,’ Donovan said. ‘She has everything that you need to be a success as a pro, not just all the skills, but she has the personality and she has the fanbase too, all of which will be attractive to a promoter.
‘And she is good enough to win a world title in the professional ranks, good enough to win multiple world titles. But it is her decision to make and it is great that she has that option now and is able to reap the rewards of all the hard work that she has put into her boxing.’
On RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland yesterday, Barry McGuigan threw out the tantalising prospect of a lucrative showdown between Harrington and Katie Taylor, if the Dubliner did go into the pro ranks, but as Donovan points out, she will have plenty of support should she decided to remain amateur and try to create history by successfully defending her Olympic title in Paris.
‘There will be no shortage of companies and sponsors who will be lining up to get involved with Kellie now, especially given the way that she carried herself in Tokyo over the past couple of weeks. So, she has that option too, and going to Paris and defending her Olympic title. It is a decision she will have to make. She will make the right decision for herself and those around her.’
Donovan spoke eloquently in the immediate aftermath of Harrington’s emotional success against Brazil’s Beatrix Ferreira.
‘In the last minute of the first round, I could see she was starting to settle and was finding her range, so even though she lost the first round, I was quite optimistic going into the second round. But how she boxed in that round was just terrific. She was facing a formidable and ferocious opponent, someone who had looked nearly invincible in her earlier fights and hadn’t lost in two years, and Kellie controlled the fight. That shows how good a performance it was and proves what a great boxer she is,’ Donovan said.
Harrington’s success, and the way she has been embraced by the nation, has shone a light once again on the service that boxing clubs provide, especially in economically deprived and marginalised areas. As an indoor sport, it has struggled more than most during the pandemic and the former member of the High Performance Unit hope assistance is now provided to any boxing clubs that are in danger of closing their doors permanently. Kellie’s story shows the impact that boxing, and boxing clubs, can have, especially in disadvantaged areas.
Boxing clubs are a place of education. They can educate a lot of kids in life, teach them about respect, self-esteem, discipline, sportsmanship, friendship, all of those things,’ Donovan said.
‘Most of the kids who will be looking to join boxing clubs now won’t ever go to the Olympics or become an Olympic champion, but they might become coaches or boxing might just put them on the right path in life. But boxing clubs can only do that if their doors remain open. Kellie’s story started at grassroots level, in the club, and if the doors to some clubs are shut, we might be shutting the door on the next Kellie Harrington.’
Dublin City Council hope to be in a position today to provide information on a planned homecoming for the gold medallist.
They have confirmed that no formal civic reception can be held because of a Covid-19 restrictions but they are hoping to mark Harrington’s achievement in a safe manner. Yesterday the postbox in Harrington’s native Portland Row was painted gold.
Former Lord Mayor and local councillor Nial Ring yesterday announced that he wanted to see the boxer granted the freedom of the city and join other sport stars such as Stephen Roche, Kevin Heffernan, Jim Gavin, Johnny Giles, Brian O’Driscoll and Ronnie Delany.
‘This award to Kellie would not only be recognition for her, but also for boxing itself, which for too long has been the poor relation in Irish sport,’ Ring stated.
“It shines light on the service boxing gives”