The Rocky Road

Today we’re going back to a time when the greatest show on earth came to Ireland. It was July 1972, and against all odds — and with the help of a strongman named Butty Sugrue — Muhammad Ali touched down in Dublin to fight Al ‘Blue’ Lewis at Croke Park. It was a week like no other: Ali jogging through Wicklow, dropping into pubs, charming street cleaners, even getting a crash course in Irish histor...

We’re going back 40 years to one of the most iconic nights in Irish sporting history. On June 8, 1985, at Loftus Road in London, Barry McGuigan became WBA featherweight champion of the world, defeating Eusebio Pedroza in front of a roaring, emotionally charged crowd. It wasn’t just a boxing match — it was a moment that transcended sport. An Irishman from Clones, cheered on by Catholics and Protest...

Today’s episode pulls no punches. Joining us is someone whose voice you know from Sky Sports — a man who’s been ringside for some of boxing’s most dramatic moments — commentator Andy Clarke.  But today, he joins us not with a mic, but with a manuscript: his new book  The Knockout: Sport’s Most Decisive Moment  is out now in paperback. In it, Andy dissects that split-second mome...

Ireland’s John Duddy fought nine times at Madison Square Garden between 2005 and 2010 – winning them all – and lost just twice in a 31-fight career. At one stage he was right in the mix to fight for the middleweight championship of the world against Kelly Pavlik but boxing had other plans for him. John wrapped up his career in 2011 when he realised his hunger had dimmed, cancelling an all-Irish ma...

From the heart of Swinford, County Mayo to the bright lights of the British boxing scene — today we welcome a rising Irish star who’s making waves in the middleweight division. At just 22,  Eoghan Lavin  is already 5-0 as a pro, backed by heavyweight promoter  Frank Warren  and trained by former world champ  Anthony Crolla, with Anthony Joshua’s 258 and McGinley Sports as...

From underdog to world-beater, from waiting in the wings to centre stage — Anthony Cacace has flipped the script on what we thought was possible in Irish boxing. Just over a year ago, many wondered if the ‘Apache’ would ever get his big chance. Now he’s one of the most feared men in the super-featherweight division and looking at possible monster matches up at lightweight.  It start...

From the corner of the gym to the centre of the ring, today's guest has made one of the more quietly remarkable transitions in Irish boxing. Daniel 'Daniel San' O'Sullivan started out helping the great Paschal Collins hold pads, wrap hands, and pass on water bottles to some of Ireland’s top fighters — names like Spike O'Sullivan, Stephen Ormond and Craig O'Brien. But while he was known around the...

Two fights. Two wins. One big message: he’s back. Belfast’s Caoimhin Agyarko returns to  The Rocky Road  to talk about his comeback after a frustrating spell on the sidelines. He breaks down his short-notice win over Ryan Kelly, reflects on the mental toll of inactivity, and opens up about how he’s grown since his powerful 2021 interview on mental health. With Irish boxing on the ri...

It’s fight week, and  The Rocky Road  takes you inside the McKenna camp ahead of Aaron’s massive showdown with former world champion Liam Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In this exclusive episode, we sit down with Aaron and his father, trainer Fergal McKenna, to explore their family dynamic, the road to success, and the preparations for one of the biggest fights of Aaron’s career. Fr...

After months of uncertainty, Irish boxing has taken a decisive step forward. On this episode of  The Rocky Road , Kevin Byrne is joined by Niall O’Carroll, Chairman of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association's Board of Directors, to discuss the landmark vote that sees Ireland join World Boxing as a dual member — clearing a path for Irish athletes to compete at the LA 2028 Olympics. Boxing...

Today's guest is a New York and Atlantic City Hall of Fame member as a matchmaker. He's spent half a century in the sport and has worked with everyone from Muhammad Ali to Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson to Marvin Hagler, Steve Collins to Bernard Dunne. And Ron Katz is still making fights today. Here we talk about the three things a fighter needs to become huge, what it was like arranging Tyson's ea...

‘Boxing has a perverse way of turning every significant bout I see into something deeply personal. It is as crooked and as destructive as it is magnificent and transformative. While watching boxers risk their lives, I fall for the gory drama once more…’ A passage from The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing, by the renowned sportswriter, Donald McRae, who joins us today. Donald is the author of...

Glenn Byrne is an unbeaten professional boxer fighting out of Dublin/Wicklow. The younger brother of Jay Byrne, his manager, promoter and trainer, Glenn's fighting for his first title at the National Stadium on April 12. With a 5-0 record to his name, up next for Glenn is Charly Lopez of Spain, with the BUI Celtic light-middleweight belt on the line. Win, and the route to an Irish title opens up....

Senan Kelly is from Leixlip, Co Kildare. Currently the Irish welterweight champion, he will defend his title against Dublin's Declan Geraghty at the National Stadium on April 12. It's third time lucky for this pair after two previous dates fell through, and promises to be a compelling contest atop another JB Boxing Promotions card as the business graduates from small-hall to the bigger leagues. Ke...

The Rocky Road hits its 200th episode during Paddy’s week – so who better to have on than the King of New York himself, Ireland’s John Duddy. He had a famous fan in Jake LaMotta and later worked closely with Robert DeNiro, who had starred as The Bronx Bull in Martin Scorsese’s epic Raging Bull back in 1980. Even today he’s boxing royalty in the Big Apple but John Duddy is also a son of Derry...

Kevin Byrne is joined by Irish Boxing's Joe O'Neill to reflect on a wild night in Belfast after Paddy Donovan was disqualified in controversial circumstances in his bout with Lewis Crocker. We also hear from Jamie Conlan, Andy Lee, Paddy Donovan, Ian Gaughran and Eddie Hearn as the fall out from the fight continued well into the night. Expect this story to rumble on for a few weeks... Hosted on Ac...

Joining us today is The Sun’s short boxing writer who loves a tall fistic tale, whether it’s roasting hot in York Hall or self-loathing in Las Vegas – but never rowdy in Saudi. It’s Wally Downes Jr, fresh from Riyadh where he oversaw Dmitry Bivol’s successful revenge mission against Artur Beterbiev. Wally’s just come from the first Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn press conference (sponsored by Riyadh S...

It’s always a pleasure to talk boxing with today’s guest, Mick Conlan - and the response we get everytime we have him on, shows that listeners relish these appearances as well. There’s so much to talk about in Irish boxing. We’ve recently experienced utter tragedy with the untimely passing of Galway warrior John Cooney following a battle in Belfast, the first fatality in an Irish ring for nearly 6...

Robbie Murray is a former undefeated professional boxer who defied the odds to achieve success in the ring. As a boy, he battled severe asthma and depended on the use of daily oxygen masks, and at that stage a future life as a sportsman seemed a million miles away. But boxing helped him build up his lung capacity and ultimately, he found success in the amateurs before turning pro in 2001, fighting...

Stephen Ormond, known as The Rock during his fighting career, knows all about The Rocky Road in boxing. A teenage elite champion who comes from a boxing dynasty, he’s related to the legendary Spike McCormack on his mother’s side, while his father and uncles were all champions in the ring as well, iconic fighting Dubliners all. He boxed as a pro for over a decade, with 33 fights in all, winning the...

The hugely anticipated Irish domestic clash between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan is only weeks away and we've caught up with both camps ahead of the epic clash in Belfast in March. On this episode, we chat with Lewis Crocker, Jamie Conlan and Billy Nelson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The hugely anticipated Irish domestic fight between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan is only weeks away and we've caught up with both camps ahead of the epic clash in Belfast in March. First up, we chat with Paddy Donovan, Andy Lee and Jason Quigley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Christmas from all of us at The Rocky Road! It's been a big year for the podcast and to round out the campaign, here's our 2024 Year in Review show. Tommy Hyde and Terry O'Neill are back in harness to go over the Irish Fighter, Fight, Knockout and Trainer of the Year. We also discuss the biggest Gutpunch of 2024, the good, bad and ugly of the amateur season and look ahead to some major moves...

What more can be said about the genius of Oleksandr Usyk? The Ukrainian got the better of Tyson Fury in their heavyweight championship rematch in Riyadh on Saturday night - this time by unanimous decision. Just as their first battle in May was, this was a thrilling fight, with ebbs and flows, momentum swings, and a force of nature – in the form of Usyk – who just couldn’t be denied in the second h...

Jay Byrne is a former Irish boxer and current manager, trainer and promoter. Having just put on his seventh show in just over 12 months in Dublin, he's currently the most prolific fight fixer in the country. Here, he joins The Rocky Road to tell us about the angry young man he once was, how he matured and why he now finds contentment in helping others, be it inside or outside of the ring. Jay disc...