PETER McDonagh says he was born to fight. Just as well — the Connemara Kid has had to do plenty of it, both inside and outside the ring.
McDonagh splits his time between his home in Surrey, where he lives with his wife and two children, and Marbella, Spain, where he trains with a number of other Irish boxers.
Before heading to training at the Fitzroy Lodge boxing club in Lambeth, the 36-year-old told The Irish Post that his fighting life is far from over.
He said: “It’s either in you, or it’s not. Some people are manufactured fighters, some are real fighters. I’d class myself as a real fighter.
“I first put on a pair of boxing gloves when I moved to England, I was six. I moved over from Connemara to Bermondsey. I couldn’t speak a word of English, I just spoke Irish.
“My Dad, Bill, had to get some work. We came over on the boat. We were only here around six months and my mum left us, so I thought the easiest way out would be to go to a boxing gym.
“Fisher was a Catholic boxing club in Bermondsey. I went there and with my mum not being there, I would just go up to the club — it helped keep me out of trouble.
“I got half bullied when I first came over because I couldn’t speak English. But living in Bermondsey, within six months I became a cockney.
“That was 30 years ago.”
Despite living away from Ireland for the majority of his life, McDonagh remains a proud Galway man.
“I have people telling me I’m not Irish because of the way I speak, but I wear green, white and gold every time I fight. I’ve never forgotten where I come from.
“I never got welcomed to England. I got bullied at school because of where I’m from. I’m Irish and that’s the end of it.
“When people ask me if I’d like to be British champion, and this is nothing against Britain or English people, but I don’t want to be British champion. I’m Irish champion, I’m champion of my country and that’s all that matters.
“My dream was never to be a British champion, my dream was always to be a world champion and I still believe I can get there.”
McDonagh’s career hit a roadblock in his early 20s when he was put behind bars on a charge of attempted murder which led to him crossing paths with former Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer.
He said: “I won a few amateur titles boxing for the Fisher. I went to go in the ABA’s in 2001 but I got arrested for something I never had anything to do with and ended up spending a year in Belmarsh prison.
“I learnt how to read and write in there properly. I was 23. I was locked up for 23 hours a day, there was a month-long trial at the Old Bailey and I got found not guilty obviously because it never had anything to do with me.
“Archer is a clever man. He helped me with my case. I learnt bits and pieces off him. He helped me learn how to read and write properly.
“I knew who he was because I’d seen him on TV. I got around sensible people when I was in there.”
After his release from prison, McDonagh returned to Ireland but after going off the rails on the drink, his sister encouraged him to come back to England to do something with his boxing career.
He said: “I always try to find the positive in every situation. People will ask me if there is anything I would change in my career, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
“If you get a negative and you can make it a positive, then it makes it a lot easier. If a million people believe you can do something, but you believe you can’t, then you’re never going to do it.
“But if a million people believe you can’t, but you believe you can, then you can do it.
“I’ve been through some dark tunnels. My missus getting sick, my mum leaving, going to jail, I lost my sister to cancer in January, but let me tell you now… I have to wear sunglasses everywhere I go, because everything is bright.
“My story is meant to be. I’m meant to be the Cinderella man.”
McDonagh’s positive outlook is no surprise. He struck up an unlikely friendship with world famous paranormalist, Uri Geller, after a chance meeting with him at the airport before flying back to Ireland for a press conference ahead of his Irish title win against Michael Gomez in 2006.
He said: “When everyone believed that I couldn’t win, he made me believe that I could.
“I met him at the airport when I was flying out to the press conference in Dublin. The first words I said to him, I asked if he could give me a few words of encouragement.
“He asked me what I was doing, I told him I was boxing in eight weeks and he said, ‘I haven’t got to give you that — you’re going to win’.
“As soon as he said that — bang, it just channelled me and I was never going to get beat. I was knocking out sparring partners and everything in my life was going well.
“And then about a month before the fight my missus was diagnosed with cancer, and my first baby, Shannon, was on her way. She had melanoma; she had to have that cut out four weeks before the fight.
“But I was so focused within myself, I knew what I had to do and I done it.”
McDonagh looks back fondly on the reception he received in Ireland following that win.
He said: “I fought Michael Gomez in 2006 on RTÉ. When I walked through Dublin Airport I didn’t get checked by the security, they let me walk straight through — you become a national hero.
“There were bonfires lit in Connemara. When you win a British title in England the man down the street doesn’t have a clue who you are.
“I don’t know why RTÉ pulled out of covering boxing. I mean come on, we’re known for fighting.
“Irish boxing in general is flying at the moment. You’ve got Katie Taylor who is a national hero. I don’t look at her as a girl; I look at her as a fighter because that’s what she is.
“You’ve got the likes of Jamie Conlon, Mark McCullough starting to come through and Carl Frampton, who is going to be fighting for a world title in September. Why can’t RTE get behind us again?”
McDonagh trains at Matthew Macklin’s gym in Marbella. Macklin’s younger brother Seamus is his coach and while there has been talk for a number of years about Macklin fighting Andy Lee, McDonagh admits he wants a crack at the Limerick man himself.
He said: “I’m Ireland’s number one boxer at Light Middleweight, he’s number two, Andy Lee.
“I’d 100 per cent want that fight if he’s going to stay at Light Middleweight. The only time I will defend that Irish title is if I can get a fight against him.
“It’s a big fight. I’d love to fight again in Ireland.”
Lee has recently dropped down from Middleweight to Light Middleweight and despite his impressive knockout in Madison Square Garden earlier this month against John Jackson, McDonagh believes he has the skills to beat the 30-year-old.
He said: “This is where I think people go wrong in their careers. They always think that to be lighter, you’re going to be bigger and stronger, but I don’t believe in that.
“When I fought John Hutchinson in March to win an Irish title in two different weight divisions, he was a Super Middleweight and he dropped down to Light Middleweight and was saying he was so much stronger.
“I said, ‘I don’t care if you were 15 stone, I’m better than you.’
“Andy Lee is a nice kid, but he knows I fancy my chances against him.”
McDonagh has a lot of time for sports psychologists but isn’t keen on the strength and conditioning trainers who are a major part of most boxing gyms.
He said: “I don’t believe in that. You look at a man with a ripped body and you think he’s in tremendous shape but then he gets hit with a left hook to the body and he’s on the floor.
“One of my favourite boxers, Roberto Duran, was never cut to pieces. If it isn’t broke, no need to fix it.
“I’ve never been really hurt in my career with a body shot or a head shot. Some people do these neck exercises, but the way I see it, you’ve either got a good chin or you haven’t. I think a lot of it is mental strength.
“Where I’m from in Connemara, it’s full of big, strong men.
“There’s certain things I ain’t. I’m not a massive puncher but I’m tough and I don’t take many shots — defence is the most important thing.
“I’ve fought everyone in my career and never been over.
“I think I’ve matured late compared to other people. I’m 36 years old now and I promise you the last year of my career is the best I’ve ever felt in my life.
“I never dedicated myself properly. I messed around all the time. I’d be out all the time partying, eating loads of bags of crisps, doing this and doing that.
“I feel stronger now, I feel better when I’m in the ring sparring. I used to feel like a little boy. Even when I was 30 I felt like a little boy.
“I’m in the ring now sparring Macklin and I feel strong. I think now is the time to break and do well.
“People think that because the gym is in Marbella we are on the beach all the time. That’s not how it is. I’m over there working hard. You’re right on Puerto Banus, but you’re still away from it.
“The Irish wherever they go get on. We have all our food in an Irish pub there called Sláinte. You’ve got Declan Geraghty from Dublin over there now who has turned pro, I try to help him out with some of my experiences.
“MGM has made me a better person and helped me really focus on my boxing. I’m signed with Hennessy Sports but I’d love to go to the States. I really believe that the Americans will love my style.
“They score a fight differently in England than how they do in America.
“I’ve got better the longer my career has gone on. I had a lot of experiences in boxing but I haven’t been bashed up.
“I’ve thought about calling it a day in the past. A couple of years ago I considered it but my missus, Candice, said to me, ‘If you give it up and you’ve haven’t finished doing what you want to do in the sport, you’ll end up fighting in pubs’.
“This is the best job in the world. Have a fight, get paid and don’t get a charge sheet. But with me, it’s not all about making money. I want to win a world title.”
