AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 54
Mike is joined by Paddy “Real Deal” Donovan (8-0-0), a Pro Boxer out of Limerick, Ireland.
Watch Knuckle Up’s Mike Orr, who always discusses up-and-coming young, hungry, and (usually) undefeated boxers during his live daily show at 4pm EST (9pm UK) on TalkinFight.com or YouTube.com/c/TalkinFight
https://talkinfight.com/paddy-donovan-live-interview-on-knuckle-up-with-mike-and-cedric-talkin-fight/
#TalkinFight #KnuckleUp #PaddyDonovan
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Transcribed:
[ Music, ] well hello.
There boxing fans around the world thanks for joining us once again here on talk and fight for another episode of knuckle up, and we do have the real deal in the house with us this evening.
Yeah.
Thank you for joining us uh.
Mike cedric, thanks for joining me, i will leave it up to you to take care of this fantastic interview with this fantastic boxer, uh.
Why don’t you take it away mike, definitely so uh? Ladies and gentlemen, we now brought him in the house uh patty.
The real deal.
Donovan is here and uh.
We’Re gon na give him a chat, so graham we’re gon na.
Let you get out of here, so we’re just gon na push you out like and bring him in and uh we’re gon na get this underway.
Patty welcome! Welcome to the show man.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Uh yeah.
I know you’re really busy man we’ve been working on this for a long time.
We finally got it underway uh.
Now we get to talk to you, man, uh great performance, the other night, impressive, win, uh yeah, you uh.
You really showed uh that you are the real deal and uh.
You know you’re about one of these next big things coming up in the boxing game.
Um we want to.
We want to know your whole story, man, so uh.
You know why? Don’T you just? Let us know what age you started boxing and how it went from there um.
I started boxing at about the age of four years old.
My dad was a former boxer and he boxed competitive for about 20 years, and then he retired in 2003, which i would have been four years old and then yeah tagged along with him to the gym, kept working together since then on in and continue our journey.
The whole way until championship at 11 years old, where i won my first national title: oh wow and uh – it was 33 fights unbeaten.
At the time before i had a loss and my first loss came in the disqualification, the national final the year following wow.
So you had 30 fights at 11.
yeah from the age of 11 to 12 to 12 years old 33 flights, one year for 2011, 2012.
wow a lot of fights so yeah i was kept.
I was kept busy that season, so i had a lot of fights by the age of 11, 12, 13, 14 years old.
So i won 13 national titles, european medals and world medals, harron gate box cup, which is europe’s biggest competition.
I’Ve won that twice in a row, so i had a very good amateur career, very successful career, um traveled all over the world, the national team, the lead team box against you guys.
The u.
s twice, luckily so had a very, very good amateur career before trump pro we’re.
We’Re canadian, though we’re canadian, oh canadian, sorry, my bad yeah, [, Laughter, ] uh, so who were some of your influence to actually get in the ring? I guess probably one of them’s gon na, be your dad yeah, my dad.
Obviously, then you had andy lee was from limerick city right, so he was so from the city, so he was a guy.
We looked up to.
We had another professional fighter called willie, big bang casey, which was your he was european champion.
He fought uh regando’s if you heard from rigo from cuba in the world championship final, so he was a guy.
We looked up to as well from the city and i looked up to a lot of great fighters coming up along and my dad, obviously being one kept me in the gym kept me active, kept me busy and we just kind of flourished from there did.
He did he influence you to get in to boxer.
Was it you kind of? Did that on your own? Well, my family, all my family boxes, my brother’s, a professional fighter.
Also 3.
You know he’s younger.
We have my dad was a boxer.
His brothers was boxers, so it was kind of family thing.
You know i just went with the floor and before i knew it, i was in championship, fights and loving the sport and um driving off a win by win, getting brought to different arenas, different events and just enjoyed it as young kid and it just kept moving Gradually forward until i came a professional fighter now, i’m here did you find it hard to balance both uh your amateur career and say your academics at school? Did you find that difficult at my school they’re very understanding they knew from a very young age.
What my goal was my goal was always to be a professional fighter to be a boxer um, a matter of fact.
I think i’ve got a book right there, where i read it at seven years.
Old was not only all about being a professional fighter, so my school understood there was days they actually let me off school that i’d be coming home late from training the following day, they’d pass me and they changed my schedule in school.
Also from if i was coming home late some days, they wouldn’t start my school until 11 o’clock, so they used to mix up the times.
Dude they’re very helpful in my career, but they knew my what my goal was and um.
They really backed me.
The whole way, so it was always going to be a boxer for me, i didn’t have no ruse right.
Yes, you had a good, a good support system coming up very, very good support system, so um, so so going pro uh.
When you got that phone call that you were going to be picked up, um top rank correct, correct yeah.
What was it? What was that phone call like when you finally found out well, i was in the amateurs elite final and the guy i beat the semi-final.
Eventually went down to win the bronze in the olympics, but in the final i had a i had a fight against a guy called camera life from ireland, which is a a fighter.
We believe we won and we should have got the decision and andy was coming to commentating the fight on the night and he said that i won and i had the x factor to go a long way, so he was retired.
He was finished boxing.
He took a step back and uh, he seen the decision and he obviously seen how heartbroken i was because my dream was to make the olympic team and uh he just came knocking at my door one day and he said he spoke with my dad.
He said, look he said: i’m retired, i’m finishing boxing.
I don’t plan to go back, but i’ve seen paddy you’ve seen there’s something special about him and we want to want to.
I want to get back into boxing and i want to train him.
So obviously there was no ifs puts yes or no.
It was straight away.
We got right to the point of being with andy lee.
We just couldn’t return that so we couldn’t refuse that.
So we started working with andy and then a lot of promoters start coming top rank came, i think, eddie herring came.
Mtk was a lot of promotions in the way, frank, warren and uh, and he sat me down.
He said: look that top-ranked paddy has the best.
The best group promotional group in the world for bringing young guys to be a world champion right and um.
He said i nearly signed with them a couple of years but far a couple years ago, but unfortunately it never came true, but they are.
They are the best in the planet so when he said it, i just want the flow by going with top ranks so straight away straight away.
I want my top rank.
That’S excellent! Oh andy lee.
What kind of trainer is he is he like uh? Is he hard on you? Is it he’s right, like you know, he’s very down-to-earth, he’s very um he’s a normal person.
We speak a lot.
He speaks me through things.
He he talks me through fights.
He gives me a pitcher even up against an opponent.
He gives me a picture.
He draws a picture in my head.
Even before i fight, i know exactly how to fight him right and we’re we’re similar fighters.
He’S tall sao paulo rangy good right hook, good left hand, good job, so a lot of similarities in that in that way, so he just he just turns me up trims little shots mix.
Uh just cleans me up and gets me right for fights and every opponent that i fight we come up with a game plan.
We just work through camp exactly the way he wants me to and every time it’s working.
How long are you camps usually before fight? Well, this this camp was about six weeks six weeks, so i stayed in dublin.
I’M from limerick city andy’s live in dublin city, so i’ve been up there for about six weeks six weeks for for this fight, but i i trained about four weeks before this.
With my dad at home, so practically about 10 weeks, this is the best shape i’ve ever been in.
I took this fight seriously struggling had a very tough 20 21.
I lost a couple of members of my family, so i took um.
I took that that that emotions and and i’m putting into positive energy and got myself in the gym and trained, really hard yeah.
You definitely did and what a great performance i thought that do you feel that was uh one of the biggest challenges uh of your career so far in the ring.
Yes, so far, it’s it’s a big spotlight.
You know what i mean.
We have a big shot.
Uh big time boxing under josh taylor’s undercard top ranked looking on yeah and the world looking on everyone, espn plus sky sports, all around the world.
Looking on, so it was a big spotlight on me.
You know what i mean, so the opponent that was up against were expected to beat him, but in a fastener we’re really happy the way it went from round one to round.
Six was absolutely perfect, didn’t get hit, didn’t get hit and some very big shots.
The fighter was very tough, very um compact and was very hard to break down, but, but eventually i got to him and and finished the job in the sixth round.
Definitely definitely it was hard to break down.
I noticed he was really tight in the beginning of the match and it took you really opening up and letting a flurry of your punches go to, and – and i also noticed that you were playing the angles – to kind of see what uh, what you could do To get them to open up more and more and by the time you know you were into the third round, you really had it figured out uh yeah, that was our game plan and he said, look he’s paddy he’s gon na be very tight.
Keep tight defense! It’S gon na be hard to break him down.
Most important thing is jab.
Your jab will will break him down.
The jab will set up the left, uppercut the right hook.
We worked a lot in the right hook behind the glove to his ear.
Would you believe it in camp and he told me aim for that – shot and uh? He said he’s going to be tied right in front so aim for around the side and it’s funny because we planned, we planned the punches here or if that was our plan.
In camp exactly, i exactly did that and they ended up being.
The punches actually stopped him in the end yeah yeah.
So what happened like? What would the ear split or something like that? We believe we believe he got stitches next morning.
We’Ve seen him in the elevator and then he’s uh.
He told a couple of guys from for the top rank.
I think that he busted also boosted his eardrum, so wow wow.
What a great before now, i’m assuming that’s the same thing like um! The way you guys planned that punch um for your other fights too.
I got my other laptop here with some of your highlights, jose luis castillo when you dropped it.
When you went the high low boom and then dropped left in the bunny, oh yeah, that was beautiful, i love body shots because, i always say um, especially dropping someone with a body shot like you have to sit down.
You have to take more risk because you have to get closer to the person and aim lower, which leaves yourself open, so a high skill level to land.
You know just to land, a body shot.
You know let alone sit down and land a devastating one.
That’S going to drop the person, so you know that that that really shows you, your high skill level.
I just wanted to point that out.
You love those body, shots yeah in the amateurs i had 65 stoppages to the body, so it was my it was my favorite shot the whole way through my career, absolutely most of the fights.
Maybe one of every third fighter would have stopped someone with a body shot.
It was very famous, it was my biggest shot in in in in my amazon career and was talked a lot about in ireland.
My body punch and saw oh, i think he froze froze.
Hopefully he comes back.
I got another question about the amateur stuff when he comes back.
Hopefully he pops back up.
Oh, he said he said.
Hopefully, oh man, yeah wow, he’s so yo.
He split the guy’s ear.
That was awesome yeah, except for the guy that felt [ Laughter, ] split, my hair yeah.
That was awesome.
Oh, i think we’re going to get him back to see what happens.
Okay, now we’re back there.
We go um, quick, uh, quick question about just going.
We were talking about the amateur career.
What um? What did you see? What was your biggest difference that you see between the amateurs and and the pros, like maybe i know, you’re still early in your pro career but um? What what did you see is the biggest difference so far making that transition? Oh did you freeze again, oh boo, yeah yeah, we’ll get it back, might need to put a phone, do not disturb someone’s calling, oh probably he’s popular man be back up in a second.
Do we know, do we know if his next fight is scheduled, yet uh, i’m gon na check right now? I don’t think it is, though, actually no, he just fought.
Last weekend, wow yeah um, but yeah man, good southpaw, great southpaw, signed the top rank so that you know, hopefully they get him.
Uh get his face out there and andy lee man.
I think andy lee is his trainer.
What a legend in the game already right! Mm-Hmm, i want to ask, i wonder if andy lee still has still has ties to uh to the cronk gym, maybe because the way that he was describing the way that he was describing andy lee’s coaching style is very similar to the way that uh people describe Uh emmanuel stores, coaching style as far as like you know, just um, just just fight, not not anything drastic but like just fine-tuning certain things like making sure you.
You turn your foot like a certain way making sure you you turn your hip.
A certain way make sure your shoulder is covering you.
You know just like inch inch differences in uh and changing your your stance and stuff there we go.
We got to back up his back yeah, i’m not i’m, not sure what happened there.
Guys! Sorry, that’s! Okay! It’S okay, we’re good um cedric! You want to ask him a question: yeah yeah, just um, just what what uh? What you see was the biggest difference um from amateur to pro.
I know i know you’re still early in your in your career right now, but what did you see is, as as the the biggest transition that you had to adjust to the biggest transition was longer training camps? For me, um the opponents would be tougher.
I know that they they slow down.
I believe they slow down a little bit the professional game, because the rounds is longer and in the amateurs it’s fast action fights, but to be fair, i’ve always had kind of a pro style fight.
I was always kind of fat for this could use my feet when i want to, but i was always a kind of a puncher but not get hit.
So that’s.
Why was one of the reasons why andy wanted me to turn pro, because my style, i didn’t, really have to adjust much of my style.
It was just a natural thing, so for me, i just the training camps is different.
The sparring is different.
Uh, the the things you do outside of the ring, obviously changes.
You know what i mean it’s a different ballgame completely when it comes to training and the attitude towards the sport, but in inside the ring um i just be myself.
Try be myself all the time.
Try listen to my coaches and do and train harder home train hard in the gym and just try to keep learning and anyone that i fight or spar.
I just continues to do my best and so far it’s been very successful for me.
Do you uh? Do you still get nervous uh before any any of your fights yeah you get nervous, but when i get closer to the arena when i believe there’s there’s a fan base there waiting for me for some reason, i always get this glow that everyone is there to See me to see me perform and um.
I rise to the occasion all the time the nerves goes away and i just can’t wait to get my opportunity to shine under the big bright lights and there are millions of people watching around the world.
So i i tried off the their adrenaline they’ve run and it just drives off and absolutely love it.
What uh? What do you think separates you from every other person in your division? That’S going to make you the the champion that you’re going to be.
I believe my past has been tough.
I believe my training, my dedication, my want um.
I believe that it’s, i believe in ireland for now there’s not many fighters in the history that can bring what i’m going to bring right.
I don’t bring.
They bring the desire.
The hunger, i don’t believe they bring the the youth the enthusiasm, the team i have behind me, the coaches i have behind me, so i believe i’m different in a lot of ways.
I think my boxing skill is very unique and, as i get older and as i get better people’s gon na see that i’m still people forget i’ve just turned 23 years old, yeah and there’s a lot of time to continue learning and become a great fighter.
And i just can’t wait to see myself this time five years at the age of 28 and see how good i am see how far i’ve come.
So i believe i believe the journey is going to be tough.
It’S going to be hard, i believe, there’s a lot going to be a lot of great fighters and which they are in my way, but i believe in myself and i believe in my fighting, i believe in my coaches, i believe in my team – and i think I’M going to go right to the top to be a world boxing champion.
Definitely, i believe so too man uh, you definitely got the skills.
The mindset uh, it’s only a matter of time uh.
What are some of the short-term goals that you have planned say like six months to a year? What’S what’s the goals, our plan is to be a world youth champion this season? That’S her goal is to be a world.
We try to get our hands on.
Maybe the wbc um world youth title and that’s our goal.
I’Ve been training really hard, so my camp is going to continue.
The training continues.
So we we need one more eight-rounder before we can get our hands on the shop for that title, but eventually, when we get that fight out of the way we’re looking towards a uh worldwide.
Any news on when the next fight’s going to come up.
Oh frozen froze again, it’s okay, he’ll, come back in a sec.
I had a question to ask him about um uh, just about his um.
I i didn’t realize how young he was until he said, and i see yeah it’s in the chat there, because, as i the same thing, i said about shakira stevenson, i could see that uh patty dotto and his skills are more mature than than his age yeah.
Some of the some of the even some of the advanced things that he’s doing so um.
It made sense for, like it made sense for him to andy lee for his coach to say you know he might as well turn professional, because he could definitely see the the the the advanced skill level mature.
Definitely well we’ll get him back here in a second we’ll continue our conversation did he say he did have something scheduled or no no well, he was about to get back and, let us know yeah.
Everybody has nothing scheduled as of yet uh that i can see of but uh yeah.
He did just fight on saturday, so that’ll be nice.
Man uh come back, wants to uh.
Very you know they put they’re putting him on.
You know he’s in his eighth bouts and he’s uh.
He was on an undercard of a of a big show.
You know undisputed of an undisputed championship, fight um, so that’s good for him um.
So i’m assuming it’s a it’s a a partnership between mtk, global and top rank right.
It’S not one of them exclusively owns him because they’re both the same well he’s he’s he’s signed the top rank.
He signed the top rank: yeah: okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, yeah; definitely what a great what a great performance, eh yeah man that that’s uh, that shot that he hit and um.
But specifically, you know.
Like i said, i, like i, like the body shots, you know why he shot her vicious man and he landed quite a few in that in that batch right.
He landed quite a few.
I think it was uh.
I think it was 42 or something 42 body shots um, so yeah.
Well, what a great he’s assuming he’s going to have some type of one of these next fights he’ll have a devastating body shot! Oh yeah, oh yeah! It’S coming! It’S coming fight of the week.
I mean knockout of the week excellent excellent, welcome back penny, guys, i’m so sorry it must be the weather outside.
Have you uh? Have you got uh any fights lined up as of yet like uh? Do you know if you’re gon na be fighting soon? I know you just i know you just came off this fight on saturdays.
Well, top rank did come coming right after the fight and they said that um they’re trying to get me stateside to new york.
So hopefully that’s the next fight.
That’S our plan, oh that’d, be awesome, yeah, hey! If you ever have any plans to come to canada.
I have a gym right here.
You can train that too, so good.
Thank you! I’M right by the uh, i’m right by the the michigan border.
So we get a lot of gym gym and oh actually, andy lee’s uh train at clunk gym correct, correct! Yes, it’s not far, yes, that that is i’m in canada, but that’s literally like the bridge.
I could go outside and show you the bridge from my house.
It’D, take us 15 minutes just to get the front gym, someday, we’ll, come and visit you.
Definitely yes, oh we’d love it.
We love it it’ll be great.
Well, i’m i’m trying to get over there, i’m trying to get over to where you are this year.
At some point, yeah you’re, coming whenever you want to come, i can show you a bit of ireland.
It’S not that big.
So it won’t take a lot of time.
That’Ll be great.
Hopefully, you’ll be a leprechaun yeah yeah all right and get a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow uh.
So uh you want to be feared and you want to be loved in your career.
Yes, so again, i want to take my people um.
The support i have in ireland – i want to give them something to enjoy something away from tough life and give them that little bit of help.
I can bring that to the ring and give them give them some delight.
Give them something to enjoy and and see this kid came from a very tough place.
Go go far, go far and do well for his country.
Oh to date.
What do you think? One of your greatest accolades is well you’re, you’re, either pro or or or amateur right now, i believe professional.
I absolutely love the game, i’m enjoying it.
So much and um i’ve got so much adrenaline.
When i think about boxing, i absolutely love it.
My brother’s fighting in two weeks time i’m supposed to be arresting, but i’m going to give him a hand and then his camp, and i just can’t wait to get out tomorrow and start training again and be back in the gym.
That’S awesome! Do you take a lot of time again, you’re only still early in your career, but do you take a lot of time off in between uh uh uh fights, or do you try to do your best not to obviously you got ta be careful to overtrain yourself, But you know i get rest, but i get that that itch to do something.
You know what i mean.
I do get rest a rest.
I usually rest after fights, but i just i just can’t get boxing on my head.
You know what i mean, so i don’t ever switch out off from the game and i just can’t wait till the week or two passes until i’m back in the gym training.
No, that’s awesome, that’s good! That’S good and that’s something that you can’t teach, because that’s what that’s the the one thing with a lot of talented boxers that are talented and don’t feel that they they need to put in the work.
But when you got the talented boxer, that’s willing to put in the work, it’s a very good combination yeah, but i know i’ve got.
I know i’ve got sorry.
I know that you know work on.
I know i’ve got things to improve on.
You know.
There’S obviously, faults um that we’re trying to correct trying to get to be perfect.
It’S tough, it’s gon na be a tough road, but we’re trying and the only way for me to accomplish that – is keeping the dream.
Gym: keep training, listen to my coaches, yeah um.
For for anybody out there that doesn’t know you yet um.
What do you think would be the best fight for them to watch uh uh in your past, that’s uh that best describes you as a fighter.
How do i describe myself as a fighter? Is this the question no um? What would what what like, if somebody was gon na watch, one of your old fights uh, which one best like best, show your skills and describe who you are as a boxer world championship final we’re trying to send it semi-final against the usa, my first uh elite? Amateur fight against the usa ranked number nine ranked number eight in the world in my first amateur fight.
I went to america and i beat him in boston, so that would have been a good fight.
It was my first amateurs elite.
First fight is elite and i beat an operate fighter in the world in the usa number one fighter, 69 kilos, so probably that fight what year when was this? This was just recently a couple years ago, right, uh in the states chicago was it.
This was 2019.
I believe not long before tom pro – yes, yes chicago so yeah chicago yeah, so with the pandemic not long before tom pro, how did the pandemic affect your training? Um? Was it uh? Did it affect your training at all, or were you were you able to it’s? Tough, it it was tough, it was tough, yes, but i kept active.
I kept.
I was close enough to my gym and uh.
I was very fortunate to get a couple of fights through the pandemic, so we’re very happy the way things went, which in a very very difficult period of time, but we’re very happy the way things went: excellent, nice, nice, yeah, any part of your training camps that You dread doing, but you have to yeah dayton, absolutely little things like this that that really gets to me, but in the box and ways i love that i’m skipping, i’m not a big fan of skipping um, but the rest i like running.
I just go into my own zone and go through all the little problems i got in my head and figure them out when i’m running so i like that.
I enjoy that and then for me the sparring i enjoy inspiring so much um, where i can get to display some boxing skill and and learn and try to not get hits exactly unless you get hit the longer you last in the sport right.
Yes, but did you hear that bob abrams said that you’re, the uh best-looking boxer since muhammad ali, i’m not sure about that now, but it’s a good compliment.
It’S good [, Laughter, ] yeah.
I read that i thought that was a good one.
I didn’t know if you knew that, but that’s i don’t.
I don’t think i’m that pretty, but it was nice to hear you’re helping you with your model career after after boxing yeah yeah.
There’S a movie acting give me some movie acting or something yes, maybe yeah man definitely um when uh, when it’s all said and done, you’re ready to hang it up and retire and uh.
You know, do other things in the sport.
What do you want to be remembered for um this guy to camp and iron? Ireland became the greatest fighter ever that came out of this country, a guy that again got a lot from people and gave a lot back to the people that gave it to him and to help young kids come through and get the opportunity that i got um.
I just want to be remembered of for loving the game and hopefully the game can give back something that i’m given to it and um.
And hopefully i can then train some younger guys and give them the opportunity that i got excellent.
Um.
Any advice for the younger guy, the younger guys out there that are about to jump in to to boxing and start embarking on the same trail as you any advice for them.
Yes, get in the gym.
Keep training, keep listening to your coaches.
Don’T ever give up, the road will get very tough.
There will be a lot of downs, ups and downs, but continue working continue.
Learning it’s a long progress to the top.
It’S um.
It takes a lot of discipline, but if you’ve got a good family, good friends that can help you it’ll make the job a lot easier.
Stay active keep in the gym.
Keep in school school is very important and just keep believing in what you want to achieve and hopefully can come true.
Actually you know i love that answer.
Man now cedric any any last questions man we’re not going to keep them too much longer.
No man, just um, keep uh keep doing your thing, make sure you stay focused and i’m looking forward to see uh to seeing uh when you’re at your body shot knockout, i’m really looking forward to being a body shot now, hopefully the next time.
I think of you the next time i promise hey and then and then we’ll have you back for our knockout of the week award and we’ll award you that yeah yeah every sunday so, okay, hopefully i need to pick up a few of them awards.
Yes, all right, patty uh, just stick around for a sec after we sign off.
So we can.
Thank you, but uh tell the talk of fight fans who tuned in today to knuckle up to see this great interview with patty the real deal.
Donovan, i told you guys it would happen in the studio thanks for tuning in you know what it is man mike or at four my man, cedric ben in the den we’ll, see you tomorrow same time.
It’S same channel new prospect.
Patty.
Thank you.
Let people know where they can find you any social medias that you have like.
If you don’t know where they can follow, you find you.
Oh, it looks like he froze again all right.
The real deal find him on social media donovan man on instagram.
That’S where you can find him at for sure.
Uh he’s got lots of things.
You can uh.
You can see there, but yes, tom fans around the world, thanks for tuning in to this great episode of knuckle up with buddy the real deal.
Donovan we’ll see you tomorrow same time same channel new prospect.
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