Danny O'Connor (boxer)

Danny O'Connor
Statistics
Real name Daniel Thomas O'Connor
Nickname(s) Danny O, Danny Bhoy
Rated at Light Welterweight
Height 5 ft 9 in (176 cm)
Reach 70 in (180 cm)
Nationality American
Born (1985-03-30) March 30, 1985
Framingham, Massachusetts
Stance Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights 29
Wins 26
Wins by KO 10
Losses 3
Draws 0
No contests 0

Daniel Thomas O'Connor (born March 30, 1985, in Framingham, Massachusetts) is an American professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division.[1] O'Connor currently fights for the boxing promotion Murphys Boxing, which was founded by Ken Casey of the Boston punk band, Dropkick Murphys.[2]

Early life

An Irish American, O'Connors' involvement in sports started at a very young age. He started playing soccer at the age of five years and continued throughout High School. Danny remains an avid soccer fan and is a supporter of Celtic F.C., Liverpool F.C., his home town team the New England Revolution and is a member of American Outlaws US Soccer Supporters.

After meeting O'Connor and learning of his loyal support, the New England Revolutions made O'Connor an honorary Captain for the 6/2/12 Revs versus Chicago Fire game.[3] It was a dream come true for the lifelong soccer fan and it was just the beginning of a developing relationship between Team O'Connor and the New England Revolution.

Along with a passion for soccer, Danny developed a love of boxing while growing up by spending every Friday evening in front of the TV set with his grandfather watching Friday Night Fights.[4] This introduced him to boxing at a young age. O' Connor decided to start boxing at 16 years old at the Framingham Police Athletic League in Framingham, Massachusetts and once he laced up his first pair of boxing gloves he never put them down.

As a child growing up without cable television, Dannys' mother taught him how to sew. This skill he honed and later used in his early boxing career. O'Connor, "I make all my own outfits. When I was a kid, I didn't have cable and there wasn't much to do, so my mother taught me how to sew. I make all my outfits from scratch. I go to the fabric store and sew them up myself."[5]

Amateur career

Danny O'Connor was the 2007 US Olympic Trials Bronze Medalist and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team alternate, Danny ended his amateur career with a record of 110 wins 11 loses.[6][7] O'Connor a 4-time New England Golden Gloves champion, won the 2008 national golden gloves as a light welterweight. O'Connor also won the US Nationals in 2008 and was voted outstanding boxer of the tournament.[8] Winning these two national tournaments in the same year back to back has rarely been done and puts O'Connor in an elite list of Boxers who have accomplished this which includes Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns. Danny's most notable victory as an amateur was a dominating win 23-3, against the eventual 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Manuel Félix Díaz, of the Dominican Republic.[9] O'Connor was featured in the May 5, 2008 Issue of Sports Illustrated faces in the crowd for his boxing skills.[10]

Danny O'Connors amateur career accomplishments has helped take him to places such as Russia and China to compete in tournaments however Danny credits his "New England upbringing as the explanation for his success. There is no special formula. Old fashion hard work, desire, and dedication are how results are rendered."[11]

Pro career

Upon returning from the Beijing Olympics, O'Connor turned pro on September 17, 2008.[12] Danny signed under Warriors Boxing and Dibella entertainment.

O'Connor is managed by Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys. O'Connor and Casey met through Casey's charity The Claddagh fund. Danny and Ken struck up a friendship and decided they both had the same goals, to bring the sport of Boxing back to the city of Boston and New England.[13] Together O'Connor and Casey are creating events that include sports and rock-n-roll. O’Connor explains, “The boxing business is a tough business, but at the end of the day, it’s the entertainment business. Together with the Dropkicks, I think we can create something special in Boston and beyond. I’m so excited for the future”[14]

O'Connors' training camp is based in Houston Texas. His boxing coach is Hall of Fame trainer Ronnie Shields. After Shields retired from boxing, he became a prominent trainer in the sport. Shields has trained world champion boxers, including Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Pernell Whitaker.[15] O'Connor speaks of his trainer during an interview, “Coach Ronnie gave me my life back,” he says with genuine affection. “He is truly a teacher and being taught by him is an honor for me.”[13] O'Connor trains at a facility called "Plex" which is a conditioning gym that houses all kinds of professional athletes run by Danny Arnold.[16] Danny Arnold is also O'Connors' strength and conditioning coach.

O'Connor has boxed 104 rounds with a knock out percentage of 33.33% in his current professional career. He is ranked 15 in the world and 19th in the USA[17][18][19]

History in the making

In May 2012 O’Connor headlined the first ever professional boxing card at the Boston House of Blues directly across from Bostons' Famed Fenway Park. It was the boxers first home town fight in three years. The Old Brigade open for the Dropkick Murphys, who played few songs before O’Connor took the ring.[20][21] Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys returned to the ring as one of Dannys' corner men for the fight.

O'Connor followed up that win by headlining the first-ever boxing card at Gillette Stadium on August 12, 2012.[22] The New England Revolution played on the field first then all eyes were on the Boxing ring set up inside the Stadium. O'Connor is quoted, “There is no better feeling that fighting at home in front of family and friends. And for this fight I also have the support of The New England Revolution and its great fans. My goal is to bring the passion of soccer fans to boxing. A year ago nobody knew who I was and on Sunday night I’m fighting at Gillette Stadium.”[23] Danny won that fight with a fourth-round technical knockout.[24]

On January 26, 2013, Danny O'Connor headlined “Night at the Fights”. Originally, scheduled for December 14, 2012 but due to a sparring injury the fight was postponed.[25] O'Connor and his team did as promised by bringing the sport of boxing back to the Boston masses. This time the venue was the famed TD Garden, home to the Boston Bruins hockey team and the Boston Celtics basketball team. This was the first fight held at the TD Garden since 2007 and more than 4,500 fans packed the stands.[26]

The light welterweight O'Connor came up a weight class for this fight and beat the undefeated New England welterweight champ in a hard-fought bout that lasted 10 rounds.[27] (the championship belt and title was not on the line for this fight because any defense would have to be fought at 147 pounds).[28] Danny O'Connor won by majority decision.

After the fight, O'Connor is quoted as saying, "“It’s amazing, I wanted to tear up when I was walking out. It’s a moment that I’ve dreamed of for so long. For it to actually happen and to really feel what it’s like, it’s indescribable It’s a dream come true. If I never pick up a pair of gloves for the rest of my life, I can always come back and say, ‘I fought in the Boston Garden. I was the main event and I won.’[26] The old Boston Garden has an impressive boxing history behind it and it was specifically designed for boxing.

At O'Connors headlined fight, former world champions Marlon Starling, Vinny Pazienza and Mickey Ward were on hand with their star power and support of boxings return to the Boston Garden.[26] In O'Connor's corner was hockey great Shawn Thornton working the spit bucket for the first two rounds[29] and undefeated boxer Edwin Rodriguez (boxer).

Boston Strong

On June 29, 2013, O'Connor beat Hector Munoz by unanimous decision in an eight round bout fought at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. All three Judges scored the fight 79-73 in O'Connors' favor.[30]

During this fight O'Connor put aside his normal Clan O'Connor boxing outfit and wore a custom-made outfit honoring the Boston Marathon bombing victims. "For this one, I'm putting the Clan O'Connor gear aside and doing something for the city. I sat down with Rival Boxing, who makes all my gear, and I hit it home about what I wanted to represent with this." O'Connor is quoted as saying, "The uniform included a jacket, shoes and trunks. It sports the Boston Marathon colors with the names of all the victims stitched into it, 'Boston Strong' and Boston sports patches." "Being from Boston, I was directly affected by the bombings — the whole community was," O'Connor said. "I was on [the Internet], sitting on my sofa for hours following the whole thing on the police scanner. I know so many people who could have been down there, it could have been anyone. I was trying to remember who told me they were going down to the finish line."[31]

After the fight, O'Connor will be auctioning off the custom-made boxing outfit to the highest bidder with all proceeds going to the One Fund, a charity set up for the victims. O'Connor is quoted as saying, "This means a lot to me. It's not like I'm on a team playing 100 games, so, after this one fight, we're going to auction everything with all proceeds going to The One Fund. It's just my way of showing my appreciation for what these families have been through. ... Boston is tight-knit and this affected me and all Bostonians a lot. We're Boston Strong!"[32]

Retirement

On June 11, 2014, Danny announced his retirement from the ring during his debut podcast show on WEEI 93.7 FM. He will stay active in the boxing world working for Murphys Boxing.

Return from retirement

Danny O made his return to the ring at Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth, Ma with the Monster Brawl on Thursday October 30, 2014 Live on Fox Sports 1 presented by Murphys Boxing. Returning after a year layoff, Danny improved to 24-2 (8ko’s) with a 4th round stoppage of Virginia’s Andrew Farmer, 18-3 (7). Farmer looked relaxed and confident entering the ring, despite the strong O’Connor crowd led by bagpipes and drums, but O’Connor’s southpaw style, sharp accurate jab, and thumping body shots seemed to have Farmer perplexed from the first round on. A right hook counter opened a stubborn cut over Farmer’s left eye in the third round, and the continued pressure by O’Connor, kept it open throughout the fight. A sharp uppercut to the body put Farmer down to one knee in the fourth, where he remained for the count.

New England welterweight belt

O’Connor originally had been slated to fight in the featured bout at Agganis Arena before giving up that spot on the NBC’s Premier Boxing Champions show to take on Paulie Malignaggi, at Brooklyn Barclays Center on the Amir Khan vs. Chris Algieri undercard. But in mid-May, Malignaggi sustained a cut over his left eyelid while sparring, forcing him to pull out of the fight last minute. [33] Danny O’Connor had trained to face one kind of boxer but now would fight another, Chris Gilbert at Agganis Arena. The welterweight from Framingham picked up his third straight stoppage victory, knocking down Chris Gilbert of Windsor, Vt., five times before referee Leo Gerstel stopped the fight in the fifth round of a scheduled eight on Saturday at Boston University Agganis Arena to capture the vacant New England welterweight title. At the time of the stoppage, O’Connor led on all three judges’ scorecards, 40-34.[34]

Professional boxing record

26 Wins (10 KOs), 3 Losses[35]
Res. Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 26-3 Puerto Rico Gabriel Bracero KO 1 2015-10-10 United States Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Win 26-2 United States Chris Gilbert TKO 5 2015-5-23 United States Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 25-2 United States Michael Clark KO 1 2015-4-10 United States Memorial Hall, Melrose, Massachusetts
Win 24-2 United States Andrew Farmer KO 4 2014-10-30 United States Memorial Hall, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Loss 23-2 Guyana Vivian Harris SD 10 2013-10-12 United States The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win 23-1 United StatesRaul Tovar UD 8 2013-09-12 United StatesVerizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Win 22-1 United StatesRuben Galvan DQ 4 2013-08-24 United StatesSportsZone, Derry, New Hampshire
Win 21-1 United States Hector Munoz UD 8 2013-06-29 United StatesMGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win 20-1 United States Derek Silveria MD 10 2013-01-26 United States TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 19-1 United States Josh Sosa TKO 3 2012-09-29 United States MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win 18-1 Puerto Rico Eddie Soto KO 4 2012-08-12 United States Gilette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Win 17-1 Puerto Rico Daniel Sostre RTD 4 2012-05-24 United States House of Blues, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 16-1 United States Bryan Abraham UD 6 2011-10-21 United States Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win 15-1 Mexico Jaime Del Cid TKO 1 2011-09-21 United States Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Loss 14-1 Puerto Rico Gabriel Bracero UD 8 2011-04-08 United States Event center, Laredo, Texas O'Connor spitting up blood in the dressing room before the fight
Win 14-0 Mexico Humberto Tapia UD 8 2010-11-20 United States Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncansville, Connecticut
Win 13-0 Puerto Rico Jose Angel Roman UD 6 2010-09-15 United States Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Win 12-0 United States Broderick Antoine UD 6 2010-05-22 United States Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncansville, Connecticut
Win 11-0 Dominican Republic Franklin Gonzales UD 8 2010-03-19 United States Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island
Win 10-0 United States James Hope UD 6 2009-11-20 United States Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island
Win 9-0 United States Patrick Cape TKO 3 2009-09-23 United States Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Win 8-0 United States James Helmes UD 6 2009-07-31 United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Win 7-0 Canada Sebastian Hamel UD 6 2009-06-27 United States The Roxy, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 6-0 United States Travis Hartman UD 4 2009-04-25 United States Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win 5-0 United States Charles Wade TKO 1 2009-03-14 United States Dorchester Armory, Dorchester, Massachusetts
Win 4-0 United States Jamar Saunders MD 4 2009-02-27 United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Win 3-0 Canada Gregorio Jimenez UD 4 2009-01-30 Canada Bell centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 2-0 The Bahamas Anthony Woods UD 4 2008-11-11 United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Win 1-0 United States Jose Guerrido TKO 2 2008-09-17 United States Verizon Wireless Arena, New Hampshire Professional debut.

Personal life

Danny married his wife Diane, of Natick, Massachusetts, on May 30, 2012. Danny and Diane have two children. Along with a passion and love of Boxing, Danny is an avid soccer fan who supports the New England Revolution, Celtic F.C. O'Connor is a member of the NERebllion supporters club and a member of the American Outlaws US Soccer Supporters.

O'Connor refers to his own boxing fans and loyal supporters as "Clan O'Connor" and the "fanfamily". His supporters, Clan O'Connor, started a fan base for him on Twitter by the name @ClanOConnor12.[36] Danny stays active with his supporters through the social media site Twitter as well, by the name @DOC_Boxing. He encourages and welcomes communication with his fan base on a daily basis[4][37]

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  3. ↑
  4. 1 2
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Piazza, Judyth (2008-09-29). "US Olympic Alternate Danny O'Connor Now a True Professional Boxer". Newsblaze.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  7. ↑ "Framingham's Dan O'Connor earns unlikely trip to Beijing as boxing alternate - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  8. ↑ "Vega-Escalara, Yanez Defeats Valadez, Olympic Boxing Review". Boxingnews24.com. 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  9. ↑ "Danny O'Connor Official Update - Boxing News". Doghouseboxing.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  11. ↑ "About Danny O'Connor Boxing". Dannyoconnorboxing.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  12. ↑ "SecondsOut Boxing News - USA Boxing News - US Olympic Alternate O'Connor Turns Pro in September". Secondsout.com. 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  13. 1 2 "SecondsOut Boxing News - Main Features - Meet Danny O'Connor". Secondsout.com. 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  14. ↑ "Danny O'Connor to Headline First Professional Boxing Match at the Boston House of Blues on May 24". Boxingnews24.com. 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  15. ↑ "Ronnie Shields - Hall of Fame Trainer Now Working with Scypion Jr". Boxingnews24.com. 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Danny O'Connor : Boxer". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  18. ↑ "IBF Ratings" (PDF). Dannyoconnorboxing.com. October 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  19. ↑ "WBC Ratings" (PDF). Dannyoconnorboxing.com. October 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  20. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Some swinging and singing - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  22. ↑ "Revolution to host first-ever boxing match at Gillette Stadium". Boston.com. 2012-07-25. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  23. ↑ "O'Connor fights Sunday night at Gillette Stadium against Soto". Boxingnews24.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  24. ↑ "Boxing a big hit at Gillette". Article.wn.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  25. ↑ Matt Pepin (2012-12-07). "Danny O'Connor injured; Garden fights postponed to Jan. 26 - Sports". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  26. 1 2 3 Kwesi, Marcus (2013-01-28). "TD Garden Night at the Fights Answers Old Questions About Boxing's Future in Boston, Poses New Ones | Boxing". NESN.com. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  27. ↑ Kwesi, Marcus (2013-01-26). "TD Garden Night at the Fights Live: Danny O'Connor Beats Derek Silveira in Electrifying Main Event | Boxing". NESN.com. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  28. ↑ "Silveira loses tough fight at the Garden » Sports » SalemNews.com, Salem, MA". Salemnews.com. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  29. ↑ "O'Connor dreaming big after win at Garden - Framingham, MA". The MetroWest Daily News. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  30. ↑ "Danny O'Connor toughs it out to win decision". Boston Herald. 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  31. ↑ "Danny O'Connor Representing City of Boston With Outfit Tribute to Marathon Bombing Victims | Boxing". NESN.com. 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  32. ↑ "Framingham's O'Connor To Box Munoz at Foxwoods Saturday | Patch". Framingham.patch.com. 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  33. ↑ "IMAGE GALLERY: O'Connor Wins New England Welterweight Title". Patch.com. 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  34. ↑ Stephen Tobey (2015-05-23). "Framingham's O'Connor dominates with fifth-round TKO - Sports - MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA - Framingham, MA". Metrowestdailynews.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  35. ↑ "Danny O'Connor". BoxRec.com. 1985-03-30. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  36. ↑
  37. ↑ "Danny Bhoy O'Connor (@DOC_Boxing)". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
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