LIMERICK’S only active professional boxer dedicated his latest career win to his best friend, murder victim Pa O’Connor and his father-in-law Pa Healy who was buried just hours before he stepped into the ring.
Extending his career success to three wins last weekend, Graham “GTrain” McCormack’s boxing story is one that could be played out in a movie script.
Turning pro later than most, McCormack (30) is on a belated journey to glory.
However last Saturday, behind his usual cheeky grin, there was real hurt as in the days leading up to Celtic Clash 6 fight night, the Limerick boxer attended the funerals of his father-in-law and best friend.
While it would have been wholly acceptable for him to withdraw from the bout, the Garryowen man said that it was never going to happen.
McCormack has faced down his fair share of adversity but his move to the pro boxing ranks has given him a fresh focus.
With the “GTrain” rumbling down the track, the third obstacle came in the form of 30-year-old Bulgarian Radoslav Mitev at Good Counsel GAA Club in Drimnagh on Saturday.
After the win, McCormack told IrishBoxing.com that he wanted “to dedicate my fight to one of my best friends and my father-in-law who both passed this week. Pa O’Connor and Pat Healy. It was a real tough week for everyone and I want to dedicate that win to them. It was a really tough week for us.”
He revealed that a lot of people told him to pull out but he explained that “life is really really tough and if I was to pull out of this fight, then any time life got tough I’d pull out.”
“That is not me. I am a fighter. I came into this game to fight and in life I won’t give up on anything.
“Life is about believing in yourself and pushing through. It’s easy to be happy and positive when everything is going right, but it’s when things are hard and tough that you have to stay positive and fight.”
“Things went wrong this week and while it was hard for me and a lot of people. I tried to stay positive and win this for them. I knew I was going to get the win and I did.”
Looking to the future, McCormack feels that the recent success are just the start of greater things to come.
