Adorned in emerald green, Cheyanne O’Neill (0-0-1, 0KOs) sits still to talk. Just. The Athlone debutant was smiling from ear to ear, proud of herself. She didn’t win – but she’s here, and she’ll be back.
After a number of years of inactivity, O’Neill finally heard Sinead O’Connor & The Chieftains’ ‘Foggy Dew’ and she finally made that jaunt. In Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza, and with Social boxing Observed from the ring, the act of fighting like a pro clearly means more than the outcome of the night. She decided to make her debut in six rounds, to test herself from the start, and despite sharing the spoils with the cunning, cunning Vaida Masiokaite (the referee scored the goal in rounds 57-57) , O’Neill still sat excitedly after the match, like a winner.
“Everybody has a game plan, right?” she began, flamboyantly, “And it changes. I don’t think it was my best performance but you have to take all the factors into account. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses, you know, that’s neurotic, that’s all. But that’s six loops below my waist. If I’m just out there with an inexperienced girl, how am I going to get out of it? A stopover? So what? Awesome – I’ll go into the second battle with no experience. Good six innings, but we have a lot to work on. ”
“On Monday [we found out about another change of opponent]. We had a weight change, I had to drop a weight, we did everything we needed to do to get the fight going; it necessary, needs happening. If not, it might be summer before we go out. I don’t feel like what her height is, I really don’t know how I feel about it, to be honest. She’s not awkward, she’s just tall, she’s experienced, she knows when to go long and when to keep it to herself. I haven’t had that experience.”
Come on Kynoch Boxing’s April Fools’ Day in Glasgow heralds the start of a professional journey in which O’Neill – 25 – will be mentored by managers Robbie Flynn and Sam Kynoch. Friday’s performance was one of a more low-key promotional outfit, giving the boxers a chance to perform and add to their experience, but despite this, Ireland fans Wheezing and screaming could be heard from behind our seats next to the ring. The support is there, and as the wars begin next, it will certainly only grow. But the experience of stepping down the ramp for the first time seems to have had the desired effect.
“Unbelievable. I was standing, waiting to step out into my ring, and I shivered. You only get to debut once and so far, my fans and the atmosphere, even the atmosphere from others [in the crowd], it’s brilliant. We also have another Irishman on the card tonight, so there are a lot of Irish here. Unbelievable. I wanted to give them a little bit better performance, but that happens, you need to move on, you know. I think it’s a little bit of weight, the nerves, then it all kicks in and it exhausts you, doesn’t it? A lot of people came out within four innings, we went six laps straight away to understand that under our deadline, to enjoy it. Here’s what it’s all about.”
Flynn, an enthusiastic, passionate manager who is also nearing the beginning of his own journey, tells Social boxing he believes that O’Neill can especially. And she definitely started the fight with an impressive fashion sense. With her aggressiveness and constant front-foot combat, she had an impressive opening two rounds, before slowing down a bit in the middle of the competition. Drawing on her experience, O’Neill had a strong finish, but those mid-rounds gave her the initial victory. What’s interesting, however, is her reaction to the ruling. Usually, boxers strike around, full of bravery and detachment from reality, but not Irish boxers. She sat – smiling as described – determined to learn boxing from the evening. It might be her strongest attribute.
“I fought my first fight in 2010,” O’Neill explained when asked about his future. “I’ve been with the best girls in the world, I beat them, and they beat me. That works in my favor and it’s really all about learning. At the end of the day, you have to get the good out of it. I have a great team and the faith they have in me, we will move forward. I was overseas in the defense force and I returned home in December. Robbie then sought to speak to me through our mutual friend, Joe Ward, and we spoke.
“I signed, went to train with Will and we could have 21 days, but it was a good 21 days. No bullshit; everything is straight forward. It’s not like we come out of the ring and everyone says, ‘Ah, that’s great.’ No, we know what we did wrong, we know what we did right. I believe in me, and I believe in them.
“I am only 25 years old, I have a whole career ahead of me. I want to be a boxer who will fight everyone. I’ll be up there with the best; I will be the best. That’s why we fight like this. We’re not here to lose a game, but we’re not here to mess up either. We’re going to get that experience over the years and we’re going to win world titles, fighting the guys that we have to. When that happens, in 20 years, you can go back and talk to me at that time…”
Coming back and moving on is definitely at the top of Cheyanne O’Neill’s wish list for the rest of this year. You wouldn’t want to bet against people of Irish descent. She stayed in Glasgow for the rest of the weekend, enjoying some Scottish culture, enjoying time with friends, fans and her fiancé, whom she paid tribute to on the medium. its social media. O’Neill had a ‘likeable, fun, positive personality’ in his teens – now, it’s time to show off a determined, uncompromising boxer.
