Eamonn O’Kane on the fast track to titles

He is the last boxer to beat George Groves, won a Gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and has been a gym mate of Paul McCloskey for more than 16 years.

On Saturday night, Eamonn O’Kane (3-0) continued his expedited pro career by overcoming the tough challenge of Ballymena man Joe Rea (7-6-1) at the Odyssey Arena on the under card of Paul McCloskey-Breidis Prescott (see fight report).

O’Kane is happy with his progress since turning pro and he combines a full time job at his father’s civil engineering company with the rigours of boxing. O’Kane, as a late-comer to the pro game and after sparkling career as an amateur, facing the likes of George Groves, Jean Pascal, Andre Dirrell, James Degale, wants to fast track domestic honours.

The Dungiven man commutes to Belfast to train under the Gerard ‘Nugget’ Nugent at the Immaculata Boxing Club and regularly spars gym mate, Martin Lindsay. Boxing training and sparring is done at the Immaculata and fitness and roadwork is supplemented in the evenings at hometown of Dungiven.

O’Kane, who looked in great physical condition at Friday's weigh in for his fight with Rea, works three evenings a week with strength and conditioning coach, Oliver Cummings.

“I am very happy with the progress that I have made, I am constantly improving. Martin (Lindsay) has been helping and I have had a few sparring partners and everything is going well.

“I had never really had any aspirations about turning pro when I was younger, but then I started to think about more towards the end of my amateur career.”

O’Kane has several role models in boxing, not least fellow Dungiven man, Paul McCloskey: “We have been around the same amateur club (St Canice’s Amateur Boxing Club, in Dungiven) for 16 years together, so Paul has always been pushing that bar up to achieve his goals and he has been a great role model. Paul McCloskey has shown me that was is ‘not achievable’ – is achievable.

“Also, it is hard to look past Manny Pacquaio - because he is such a class act. I love the fighting style of Miguel Cotto, so they would be the two boxers that would immediately spring to mind.

O’Kane, also noted the important influence of his father, Laurence: “The role models in my life would be my father, from a young age, he would have always guided me and pushed me and promoted me in sports in general, that would have been running, football, hurling, golf, boxing – whatever it was – he supported me, helped me and guided me. He has been a big factor in my life.”

For fight fans that have not seen O’Kane, how would he describe his fighting style? “I am an exciting, pressure fighter, I throw plenty of good combinations and plenty of variety in the middle of it."

O’Kane is a latecomer to the pro ranks and at the age of 29 is looking to make a quick impact: “My goal is to try and make up for a bit of lost time, so that is my plan, to get up to title fights as quickly as possible. That is why I have went from four (rounds), to six, to ten.

“The people I have been in with in the amateur game, have went on to when British, Commonwealth, European and world titles in the pro game. I have mixed it with the best of them, Jean Pascal, Andre Dirrell.

“I was the last person to beat George Groves – who beat James Degale, I was in with James Degale, Andy Lee, John Duddy – you name it – I have been in with them. So I have all of that experience behind me.

“I have also had three fights at the World Series of Boxing (O’Kane won all three fights for Milano Thunder), and they were five, three-minute rounds with no head gear or vests, so you could regard that as a very tough introduction into the professional.”