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| '''Daniel Thomas O'Connor''' (born March 30, 1985, in ]) is an ] professional ] in the ] division.<ref></ref> | '''Daniel Thomas O'Connor''' (born March 30, 1985, in ]) is an ] professional ] in the ] division.<ref></ref> | ||
| ==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Revision as of 03:18, 23 August 2013
| Danny O'Connor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Daniel Thomas O'Connor (1985-03-30) March 30, 1985 (age 39) Framingham, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Danny O, Danny Bhoy |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light Welterweight |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (176 cm) |
| Reach | 70 in (180 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 21 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Wins by KO | 7 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Daniel Thomas O'Connor (born March 30, 1985, in Framingham, Massachusetts) is an Irish-American professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division.
Early life
O'Connors' involvement in sports started at a very young age. He started playing soccer at the age of five years old 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 http://www.theamericanoutlaws.com/.
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. 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. 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."
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. 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. 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. O'Connor was featured in the May 5, 2008 Issue of Sports Illustrated faces in the crowd for his boxing skills.
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."
Pro career
Upon returning from the Beijing Olympics, O'Connor turned pro on September 17, 2008. 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. 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”
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. 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.” O'Connor trains at a facility called "Plex" which is a conditioning gym that houses all kinds of professional athletes run by Danny Arnold. 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 ranked 15 in the world and 19th in the USA
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. 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. 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.” Danny won that fight with a fourth-round technical knockout.
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. 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.
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. (the championship belt and title was not on the line for this fight because any defense would have to be fought at 147 pounds). 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.’ 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. In O'Connor's corner was hockey great Shawn Thornton working the spit bucket for the first two rounds and undefeated boxer Edwin Rodriguez (boxer).
Boston Strong
On June 29, 2013 O’Connor beat Hector Munoz by unanimous decision in a a eight round bout fought at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. All three Judges scored the fight 79-73 in O'Connors' favor.
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 , 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.”
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 Boston Bombing 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!"
Interview Videos
Danny appeared on NBC Sports Crossover:
Danny O’Connor Wins Gillette Stadium’s First-Ever Boxing Match Interview
Professional boxing record
| 21 Wins (7 KOs), 1 Loss | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Win | 21-1 |  Hector Munoz
|
UD | 8 | 2013-06-29 | MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
|
|
| Win | 20-1 | Derek Silveria
|
MD | 10 | 2013-01-26 | TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
|
|
| Win | 19-1 | Josh Sosa
|
TKO | 3 | 2012-09-29 | MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
|
|
| Win | 18-1 |  Eddie Soto
|
KO | 4 | 2012-08-12 | Gilette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
|
|
| Win | 17-1 | Daniel Sostre
|
RTD | 4 | 2012-05-24 | House of Blues, Boston, Massachusetts
|
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| Win | 16-1 | Bryan Abraham
|
UD | 6 | 2011-10-21 | Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
|
|
| Win | 15-1 |  Jaime Del Cid
|
TKO | 1 | 2011-09-21 | Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
|
|
| Loss | 14-1 | Gabriel Bracero
|
UD | 8 | 2011-04-08 | Event center, Laredo, Texas
|
O'connor spitting up blood in the dressing room before the fight |
| Win | 14-0 | Humberto Tapia
|
UD | 8 | 2010-11-20 | Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncansville, Connecticut
|
|
| Win | 13-0 | Jose Angel Roman
|
UD | 6 | 2010-09-15 | Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
|
|
| Win | 12-0 | Broderick Antoine
|
UD | 6 | 2010-05-22 | Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncansville, Connecticut
|
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| Win | 11-0 |  Franklin Gonzales
|
UD | 8 | 2010-03-19 | Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island
|
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| Win | 10-0 | James Hope
|
UD | 6 | 2009-11-20 | Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island
|
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| Win | 9-0 | Patrick Cape
|
TKO | 3 | 2009-09-23 | Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
|
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| Win | 8-0 | James Helmes
|
UD | 6 | 2009-07-31 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
|
|
| Win | 7-0 |  Sebastian Hamel
|
UD | 6 | 2009-06-27 | The Roxy, Boston, Massachusetts
|
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| Win | 6-0 | Travis Hartman
|
UD | 4 | 2009-04-25 | Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
|
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| Win | 5-0 | Charles Wade
|
TKO | 1 | 2009-03-14 | Dorchester Armory, Dorchester, Massachusetts
|
|
| Win | 4-0 | Jamar Saunders
|
MD | 4 | 2009-02-27 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
|
|
| Win | 3-0 | Gregorio Jimenez
|
UD | 4 | 2009-01-30 | Bell centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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|
| Win | 2-0 |  Anthony Woods
|
UD | 4 | 2008-11-11 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
|
|
| Win | 1-0 | Jose Guerrido
|
TKO | 2 | 2008-09-17 | 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 a son named Liam.
Along with a passion and love of Boxing, Danny is an avid soccer fan who supports the New England Revolution, Celtic F.C. & Liverpool 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. 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
References
- News: Danny O'Connor; Travis Kauffman; Montell Griffin
- Framingham fighter O'Connor gets a bigger stage - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
- ^ Shipping up to Foxborough: Danny O’Connor to Make History on Sunday Night
- "laredo_site". Keeppunching.com. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
- US Olympic Alternate Danny O'Connor Now a True Professional Boxer
- Framingham's Dan O'Connor earns unlikely trip to Beijing as boxing alternate - The Boston Globe
- Vega-Escalara, Yanez Defeats Valadez, Olympic Boxing Review – News
- Danny O’Connor Official Update - Boxing News
- SI.com - Faces in the Crowd
- About Danny O'Connor Boxing
- SecondsOut Boxing News - USA Boxing News - US Olympic Alternate O’Connor Turns Pro in September
- ^ SecondsOut Boxing News - Main Features - Meet Danny O’Connor
- Danny O’Connor to Headline First Professional Boxing Match at the Boston House of Blues on May 24
- Ronnie Shields – Hall of Fame Trainer Now Working with Scypion Jr
- Ronnie Shields
- home
- "Danny O'Connor : Boxer". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
- http://www.dannyoconnorboxing.com/ibf_rankings.pdf
- http://www.dannyoconnorboxing.com/WBC_Ratings_OCTOBER_2012.pdf
- Framingham's O’Connor rocks, rolls at House of Blues - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
- Some swinging and singing - The Boston Globe
- Revolution to host first-ever boxing match at Gillette Stadium - The Buzz - Boston.com sports news
- O’Connor fights Sunday night at Gillette Stadium against Soto
- Boxing a big hit at Gillette - Worldnews.com
- By Matt Pepin (2012-12-07). "Danny O'Connor injured; Garden fights postponed to Jan. 26 - Sports". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
- ^ 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.
- 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.
- "Silveira loses tough fight at the Garden » Sports » SalemNews.com, Salem, MA". Salemnews.com. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
- "O'Connor dreaming big after win at Garden - Framingham, MA". The MetroWest Daily News. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
- http://bostonherald.com/sports/other/boxing/2013/06/danny_o_connor_toughs_it_out_to_win_decision
- http://nesn.com/2013/06/danny-oconnor-representing-city-of-boston-with-outfit-tribute-to-marathon-bombing-victims/
- http://framingham.patch.com/groups/sports/p/framinghams-oconnor-to-box-munoz-at-foxwoods-saturday
- Danny O'Connor's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-27.
- Danny O’Connor: An Ordinary Guy Trying to do Extraordinary Things
- Danny O'Connor (@DOC_Boxing) op Twitter
External links
- Boxing record for Danny O'Connor from BoxRec (registration required)
- Official website
- Rankings:
- http://www.dannyoconnorboxing.com/ibf_rankings.pdf
- http://www.dannyoconnorboxing.com/WBC_Ratings_OCTOBER_2012.pdf