Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Mum's the Word for Rogan

Martin Rogan has revealed the reason why it has taken him a while to reach the top - his mum banned him from boxing when he was a youngster! Despite his late entry into the sport and just 12 professional fights, Rogan has captured the Commonwealth heavyweight title and has become a household name in Ireland after wins over Audley Harrison and Matt Skelton. He will defend his belt against Sam Sexton at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast, on May 15, with Sky Sports televising live. But Rogan - who was an outstanding hurler until he turned to boxing - didn't throw a punch until his 20s after following the wishes of his mum. "I was desperate to go the gym when I was a kid, but my mum didn't want me boxing and believe me I listened to her!" said Rogan. "Like a lot of mums she didn't want to see her son getting hurt. "So I got into hurling instead and did well, but I was always attracted to boxing because of the one-on-one nature of the sport. "My mum is very proud of my success, but she gets up to high do when I fight, and she says a little prayer for me and my opponent. "She can't watch my fights from ringside - in fact, she can hardly bring herself to watch full stop. "I think the only fight she's seen was when I beat Harrison, and even then she was watching the TV from behind the sofa with her hands covering her face - and my family telling her what was happening. "But she loves the fact I'm doing well and she's now my number one fan." Rogan-Sexton tops an action packed Odyssey card which will also feature the 2008 Olympians, James DeGale, Billy Joe Saunders and Frankie Gavin.
Michael Jennings returns to action in an eight rounder following his brave WBO world title challenge against Miguel Cotto, while local stars Scott Belshaw, Kevin O'Hara, Ciaran Healy and Luke Wilton also feature.

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