FOR many, he was one of Ireland’s major Olympic success stories – and that without throwing a punch or getting near a podium. Instead Eric Donovan was winning plaudits rather than medals for the clarity of his analysis, which lit up RTE’s Tokyo 2020 coverage.
The Kildare man is better qualified that most to comment and interpret what is happening between the ropes, having served his time at the High Performance unit under the tutelage of Billy Walsh and Zaur Antia before embarking on a pro career that has brought him to the brink of major title challenges.
Even for non-boxing fans, his interesting, informed delivery alongside Beijing 2008 silver medallist Ken Egan managed to capture the imagination – although those early starts did take a toll on the body clock.
Due to the time difference, Donovan was up through the night following the action, then in the studio in time for RTE’s 7am broadcast most mornings over the course of the Olympic fortnight, with that running until 12pm.
Once over, it was back home to further research the Irish boxers’ opponents, hopefully squeeze in a training session, then back to Donnybrook for the Tokyo 2020 evening show.
“I took the role very seriously,” said the 36-year-old, who returns to the ring for the first time since December when he takes on Hungary’s Laszlo Szoke as part of manager Mark Dunlop’s Europa Hotel show on Saturday evening.
“I tried to educate and inform the public about these boxers and the journeys they’ve been on because they haven’t just arrived on the screen from nowhere; getting to an Olympic Games in the culmination of a lifetime’s work behind the scenes.
“It did kind of upset the sleep pattern, but at the same time you’re buzzing for it. During the Games you’re running on adrenaline yourself watching them, because I’m a fan as well as a boxer.”
Donovan admits he was “blown away” by the positive response received, even if there was a bittersweet edge.
Amateur boxing has long struggled to find a home on domestic TV outside of the Olympics and, although TG4 will show the finals of next month’s Irish Elite Championships, there is a fear that interest will wane once again the further it drifts from view.
Irish Athletic Boxing Association president Dominic O’Rourke - Donovan’s former coach at St Michael’s, Athy – recently spoke of the need to build on a momentum when the stories of Kellie Harrington and Aidan Walsh were among those to grab widespread interest.
And the man known as ‘Lilywhite Lightning’ couldn’t agree more.
“The response was incredible, it really was.
“But there’s a sadness to that too because amateur boxing only gets rolled out to the public every four years – five years in this case - and you could see there is a genuine appetite for it. People are really getting stuck in, and we should do more. We absolutely should.
“Personally I was very grateful to get the opportunity from RTE. I never made it to the Olympic Games, I had my own reasons for that – self-inflicted – and I have to live with that. But I know how hard all the boxers train, how incredibly difficult it is to get there.
“I absolutely love boxing, I’m so passionate about the sport. It gives people a chance – it’s the underdog sport. I love what it’s done for me and many others, so any time I get the chance to talk about it in that kind of capacity, I’d jump at it.
“I’d talk about boxing all day, whether there’s cameras there or not.”
DONOVAN HOPING TO TAKE FIRST STEP TOWARDS TITLE IN BELFAST
INJURY and inactivity have slowed down the professional career of Eric Donovan – but he is hoping a victory at Belfast’s Europa Hotel on Saturday night can be a first step towards a crack at a major title before the end of the year.
Donovan, who has only fought 14 times since turning over to the paid ranks in 2016, proved he is well able to mix it with the best when he moved up in weight to face Zelfa Barrett at last August’s Matchroom Fight Camp.
Although he succumbed to Barrett’s greater power late in the fight, the only defeat of his career, Donovan outboxed his highly-rated opponent throughout the fight, despite giving away so much in height and weight.
It has been a frustrating year since, with a rib injury forcing him out of a European super-featherweight title shot in May, but Donovan hopes to get the show back on the road against Hungary’s Laszlo Szoke this weekend.
“When the Olympics were over, I had three or four weeks to really just focus in on the fight,” said Donovan, who is now trained by Packie Collins at the Celtic Warriors Gym in Dublin.
“My last fight was in December 2020 so this is a comeback fight more than anything after my recent injury and inactivity, through no fault of my own.
“It’ll be nice to get some rounds under my belt and then hopefully get back into a big one before the end of the year. The injury is all cleared up, I’m sparring well, I’m in good form and really looking forward to getting back into the ring in front of fans.
“I was lucky enough I got the break to fight Zelfa in these uncertain times. Obviously the result didn’t go my way but in terms of how I performed and how I represented myself… it’s very rare that your stock would rise with a loss, but it has put my name out there.
“We’re in discussions and negotiations with people now, I just have to keep on working away and these fights will come again, hopefully at my own weight.
“I do genuinely believe I will be back in a big fight very soon. I know I’m 36, I know I’m in the final chapter of my career, but I’m just seizing every day and every week I have left. It’s becoming more and more important to me as time goes on.”
As well as his own career in the ring, Donovan is also helping Tyrone featherweight Jude Gallagher ahead of next month’s Irish Elite Championships and the Ulster Elites, provisionally pencilled in for December.
The pair have worked together for two years now, and Donovan is confident 2019 Irish flyweight champion Gallagher can go be part of the Irish team that goes to the next Olympic Games.
“I love working with Jude, he’s a joy to work with.
“What a kid and what a future he’s going to have. I believe he’s a real solid candidate for Paris 2024 in the featherweight division, presuming Kurt Walker turns over.
“Jude is only 19, he’s solid at the weight now, and he’s capable of anything really.”
