by James Slater – In what has to be one of the worst weeks for British boxing, tragedy outside of the ropes-wise, fans and media members all over are still in shock at the death of 2008 Olympian and hot prospect Darren Sutherland of Ireland. As most people will now be aware, the 27-year-old who captured a bronze medal in Beijing was found dead in is home yesterday, by his promoter Frank Maloney. And while the tributes to Sutherland continue to pour in, more shocking news has broken; telling us how Maloney is now in hospital after suffering a heart attack..
According to South London Press, Maloney’s attack was, thankfully, only a relatively minor one and it is not yet known if the attack was brought on by Frank having been shocked at finding his fighter’s body yesterday.
Maloney’s spokesman, Steve Lillis, gave a short statement: “Tests have shown that Frank has had a heart attack but we don’t know whether it was the shock of finding the body or if it happened earlier than that,” Lillis said. “He is being kept in for tests and observations. But he is sitting up in bed and he is chatting to people.”
Before being rushed to hospital, Maloney issued his own statement, in which he spoke of how sad it was what happened to Sutherland and how the news is a tragedy for Ireland and the world of boxing. Indeed, it has been a sad week all round. Thankfully it looks as though Maloney will be okay.
As for the talented Sutherland, a fighter who had a bright future, the tributes have been flooding in all over. Former rival and 2008 Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale, who won and lost in fights with Sutherland, had the following to say:
“It is a tragedy. First and foremost, my heart goes out to his family. I just could not believe it: my heart went to the floor when I heard. He was a big part of my Olympic medal journey. I just do not know what to say except he was a brilliant fighter, in fact an excellent fighter. He had an Olympic bronze medal and his whole life to look forward to. He had a great future and my heart goes out to everyone who knew him.”
Former world featherweight champion and fellow Irishman Barry McGuigan had the following to say:
“It is an absolute tragedy. I would describe Darren as a phenomenal talent. I believe he would have become a world champion in the pro ranks one day.”
And many more tributes to the fallen warrior continue to be given. Condolences must be given to Darren’s family at this sad time.