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5 lessons from Andy Lee's documentary with heavyweight Seamus McDonagh

Seamus McDonagh's incredible interview with Andy Lee shows him to be a charming and disarming man...
Newstalk
Newstalk

12.25 3 Aug 2018


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5 lessons from Andy Lee&#3...

5 lessons from Andy Lee's documentary with heavyweight Seamus McDonagh

Newstalk
Newstalk

12.25 3 Aug 2018


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Seamus McDonagh's incredible interview with Andy Lee shows him to be a charming and disarming man. One would never guess that this is a man whose alcoholism has brought him to the very edge, whose brain injuries continue to trouble his turns in life and that he was one punch away from $25m.

It's on this backdrop that former middleweight champion Andy Lee caught up with Seamus, winding their way back through his highs and lows. In the interests of brevity, and to ensure that you spend the short time today to learn more about his life, here are the five things that we learned from Seamus's interview.

We are very interested to hear your thoughts - tweet us on @offtheball or leave a comment on our YouTube channel.

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5 lessons from Andy Lee's documentary with heavyweight Seamus McDonagh

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Five things we learned from Seamus McDonagh

 

He thinks about his $25m fight with Holyfield every day

"I have thought about that fight every day for the last 28 years."

Seamus had to be convinced to fight Evander Holyfield, due to the difference in weights. With Holyfield a heavyweight, and McDonagh a natural cruiserweight, it was only the enticement of $25m that sealed the deal.

Which we can understand...

 

Alcoholism nearly killed him

"I woke up one morning behind the wheel of a car that was half on the sidewalk, half on the road. I swore off drinking."

Seamus found that the gargle 'anaesthetised' his brain, and gave a brilliant insight into the nerves that he felt in the run-up to the Holyfield fight.

 

Donald Trump thought he was a brilliant boxer

"Trump said to me 'You fought a great fight, we want you to fight here again!'"

Although Seamus was by no means a fan of Trump, as you will hear in his discussion with Andy, the Holyfield bout was fought in Trump Plaza.

 

A traumatic brain injury still troubles him

"I got a traumatic brain injury then. It still affects me now."

Seamus gave us a brilliant insight into the medically-recognised 'Professional Athletes' Syndrome', or PAS, and how life after boxing was 'hell'.

 

He didn't enjoy boxing at all

"When people say "Why did you give up fighting?" I say "I got allergic to people hitting me in the head.""

It was Seamus' brother that was into boxing, rather than Seamus himself, and it was he that encouraged him to continue his career.

 


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