‘I WILL WIN THE WORLDS’
New flyweight Niall Farrell had a sensational European championships
HOW pleased were you to win a silver medal in your first major international tournament?
I’m over the moon. It was my first major, the first major in a new cycle, the new cycle ready for Tokyo 2020. There were a lot of good kids in it because they’re all trying to start their cycle off the way we are. I knew it was going to be a hard Europeans. I enjoyed every minute of it to be fair. The whole experience was unreal, it was a proper good tournament. Some top kids were there. It was mad, you had the Russians there, Azerbaijan, all the top countries but our team was by far the best. It was mad, to be fair. What are your thoughts on the final and your opponent in the final, Daniel Asenov?
He’s a top kid, he’s the reigning European champion. I knew going into the fight. All the way through I was boxing top kids, Reece Mcfadden, Manuel Cappai, another Olympian, Brendan Irvine, another Olympian.
It was a close fight. I thought I nicked it, a lot of people thought I’d done enough to get it. It was one of them. I’m wounded, I still am, because I only went there for one colour. But at the same time I know for a fact by the time these Worlds come, I’m winning gold out there.
I’m number two in European and I’m soon to be number one in the world. I know for a fact when I go out there in the Worlds, I’m coming back with gold. No other colour. What was the bout with Reece Mcfadden like?
Very good. Going into the fight I knew he was a tricky kid. A lot of mental games going on, laughing at me, trying to make me lose my head. I’m tall for the weight and he’s very awkward. He likes to get in your head, he likes to rough you up. I knew it would be a good, good fight. Would you say Ireland’s Brendan Irvine was the best person you beat on your way to the final?
On paper probably yes. On paper he’s a top kid. [Boxing Scotland, Ireland] to lose to them it’s close to home. I’ve got a lot of family in Ireland. They all know Irvine. There was a lot of pressure. He’s a top kid.
But at the same time I went in there knowing in my head, ‘I’m going to beat him today.’ The same with all of them. I went in there full of confidence.”