Shannon back on boxing’s big stage

READY TO GO Shannon Sweeney of St Annes BC Westport will be in action in the National 48kg Elite final next Saturday night. Pic: Sportsfile

Shannon Sweeney of St Anne’s BC boxes for an Irish title next weekend

Interview
Michael Gallagher

ON Saturday night Shannon Sweeney will go to war in search of her second Irish senior boxing title. The 2018 champion will step between the ropes to face Carol Coughlan, the 2019 winner, in the 48kg Elite final and it promises to be a cracker.
“There will be nothing between us. It will all come down to who performs better on the night and I’ll be going there to give it everything,” the Westport light-flyweight boxer told The Mayo News the day after defeating the impressive Chloe Fleck in the semi-final.
“That was a tough fight,” the St Anne’s BC boxer said in reference to her battle with Fleck. “She pressured me and gave me no room or time, so it was a bit of a war at times, but I didn’t mind that either. I like to box and pick my shots but most fights at this level are action-packed and it’s all about timing and getting into the rhythm of it.”
The 22-year-old gained a 5-0 unanimous decision over her opponent from Canal BC, while Coughlan qualified for the final thanks to a 4-1 win over Ciara Walsh from Smithfield, so the stage is set for an exciting final on Saturday night — one Sweeney is really looking forward to.
“I absolutely love boxing. It has given me so much and made me the person I am. Like many others, I had my challenges along the way and boxing gave me direction, confidence and discipline. It was something I could do for myself and shut out everything else in the world. “I’m an extremely focussed individual and I have big goals, so boxing is a huge part of my life.
“My goal is to box for Ireland at the Olympics in Paris in 2024 and I’m driven by that every single day of my life. If I’m fortunate enough to win on Saturday night, the next step would be to get called up to the High Performance team and then take it from there.
“If Saturday doesn’t go right for me, it doesn’t alter my goal, I will just have to learn, get better and go again, but that’s not in the plans right now.”
Sweeney is an impressive individual who seems to know exactly where she’s going in life. There are no short-cuts, no hiding from the business at hand and that’s the way it has been since she first climbed through the ropes of the four-cornered ring.
“I live for boxing. I’ve been almost the same weight for ten years now and love training. I’m out of bed every morning at 6am for either a gym session or running and then I get ready for work (at Keith O’Connell Engineering).
“In the evening, I’ll be back in the club for more work and what I do there all depends on what stage the season is at. This week will be fun.”
Shannon prepares meticulously for every aspect of her boxing life. She likes the solitary aspect of the sport and the individual challenges it throws up, but never feels alone.
“My brother Alan passed away in 2013, but he’s with me every day of my life. Whether I’m training on my own at 6am before the town wakes up or I’m boxing in ‘The Stadium’ he’s always with me. I never go a day without thinking about him. We just got each other, and when I won the semi-final it was for him because his birthday was the following day.”
On Saturday night, the young boxer will step into the ring under the watchful eyes of Martin Brennan, Peter Mullen and the might of the St Anne’s club. She has represented them proudly over the years with eight national juvenile titles and one Elite crown to her name already.
She has carried the club name into international clashes across Europe and one day may even walk into an Olympic stadium with the shamrock on her vest.
Shannon Sweeney’s boxing journey has been a wonderful one and the best is yet to come.
On Saturday night she will write another chapter in her exciting sporting story.