Cork boxer Aaron O'Donoghue on taking first steps into professional ring: Sponsors and family are key
Aaron O’Donoghue during the Golden Gloves Senior Tournament in Cork in 2024. Picture: Doug Minihane
Cork boxer Aaron O’Donoghue is at the start of his professional career but is highly ambitious.
He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his counterparts Gary 'Spike' O’Sullivan, Callum Walsh, Tommy Hyde, Cathal Crowley and Steven Cairns. O'Donoghue has had three professional fights to date. He competed twice at welterweight in Boston and once in England and won all three fights, including one by knockout.
O’Donoghue, who hails from Knocknaheeny, began his boxing journey with the Fr Horgan’s club, then based at the Parochial Hall, when he 12 years old and trained under Steven O’Mahony. After four years he moved to Douglas BC where he followed his trainer O’Mahony.
However, that move only lasted 12 months when he decided to take a break from the sport. He returned to the ring three years later with the Golden Gloves club where he had a very successful spell by winning a National Title, Elite Titles and also two Celtic Cups.
He also won a few European medals when he represented the Irish Army, where he has served since 2017. O’Donoghue now fights out of the Elite Boxing Club and is under the guidance of Shane Cunningham and Danny Fitzpatrick.
He decided to go professional last January after losing his Elite semi-final in a very close contest to Dublin native Ian Gaughran.
"I'm boxing since I was 12, when I boxed out of the Parochial Hall with Fr Horgan’s.
"After four years there I followed my trainer to Douglas, however, that move only lasted a year as I ed the Army and wanted to concentrate on my new job.
"I returned to the ring when I was 20 years old when I ed Golden Gloves, however, I recently moved again to the Elite Boxing Club to fight under Shane Cunningham and Danny Fitzpatrick.
"I decided to move to the professional ranks after I suffered a loss in a very close contest at the Elite Championships last year and had my first professional bout in Palladium Worcester in Boston in January when I beat Brazilian fighter David Rodrigues in a four-round contest by unanimous decision."
He was out again two months later and again the first was in Boston where he knocked out another Brazilian Igor Santos in the first round at the Boston Harley-Davidson venue at Reverse Massachusetts.
"My last fight was last month where I fought Jacob Marrer who hails from Dublin at the Hideout Venue at Farnworth in Bolton England, which I won the contest on points. That was my first fight with my new club where I had Shane in my corner for the very first time."
He fought those three fights at welterweight but plans to move to lightweight going forward.
"Those fights were all scheduled for four rounds, but we plan to move up to six rounds for my next fight.
"I train every day with Shane and Danny at Elite in Churchfield, however, I have to travel around the country to get quality sparring.
"I know I have only just started out on my journey as a professional but I'm very confident in my own ability and plan to fight for an Irish title sometime next year. I also know it can hold difficult challenges and disappointments, but I am really focused to get to that next step of my career.
He thanks his father Ray, mother Evelyn, brother Wayne, sister Chantelle and girlfriend Sophie for their continuing inside and outside the ring.
The professional game can be very expensive and without sponsorship it simply doesn’t happen, and the 27-year-old is lucky to have some amazing sponsorship deals in place to help him try reach his goals in the coming years.
“Professional boxing can be a very expensive sport and I’m so grateful to my sponsor’s, The River Lane Bar, JD ProValeting, SOM Plastering, CarClear.ie, Maglin Kitchen’s, WSF Cork, Old Mill Bakery, Kyne Roofing, The Recovery Pod Sauna, SC Fitness, OSCO Electrical and Urban Fitness.
"I know that without their financial that I just wouldn’t be able to follow my dreams and ambitions."
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