As part of our ongoing campaign on supporting men in sport, Kukri Sports recently sat down with rising boxing star, Kieran Molloy, in an exclusive interview.
Kieran Molloy, who teamed up with Kukri as a sporting ambassador in March last year, has a bright future in boxing with his achievements including 11x National Champion, 3x Irish Elite Champion and EU Bronze Medallist, all by the age of 23.
The now 24-year-old welterweight prospect enjoyed a triumphant return to his hometown Galway in his last bout, winning convincingly after an eight-round contest with Colombian Fernando Mosquera, dazzling the sell-out crowd and showing off his impressive arsenal of skills in the process.
Molloy (5-0, 3KOs) looks back on the fight fondly and insists he’s raring to go ahead of his next bout, scheduled against Kurt Walker in Belfast on Saturday 27 May.
“It was fantastic to headline in my own city. I was very proud to bring big time boxing back to my home town. A lot of the people that were in the crowd have supported me since I was a kid, so it was nice to put on a show for them.
“I’m feeling good ahead of my next fight,” Molloy said. “I’m training well here at Loughborough University and we’ve got some great facilities here, so you can’t really ask for much more than that.”
Molloy, who trains under the watchful eye of world-class coach, Angel Fernandez, is excited for the future under the Spaniard and also lavished praise on his fellow boxing training partners.
“I’m doing some great work with my coach, Angel Fernandez, and I also have the privilege of training with some other talented boxers in Richard Riakpohre, Frazer Clarke and Sergio Garcia, so we’re all pushing each other on every single day in order to achieve our goals and reach the very top.
“It’s nice to be able to train with them all. Richard is a lot more advanced in his career at the moment, but that level is what we want to aspire to and we know we can get there with the plan that Angel has in place for us. We always keep pushing each other on every day and we’re all working our way towards the top.”
Molloy’s commitment and knowledge of the sport in which he operates is compelling, and ahead of his next bout, he is not underestimating the challenge that lies ahead.
“In training you’ve got to have every box ticked before the fight. You could be training for a specific style, but your opponent might come out and do the exact opposite of what you are prepared for.
“You have got to adjust as the fight comes,” Molloy continued. “In our training camps we cover everything, whether our opponent is an aggressive fighter, counter puncher, if he’s on the run, if he’s slick or if he’s got a tight guard. It’s important we cover all aspects in training and that is what our coach, Angel, is very good at doing.”
Combining his exciting talent with his dedication to the sport, Molloy undoubtedly has a bright future in boxing and will do whatever it takes to reach his goal. Next up, Belfast.
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