“I like the idea of boxing, it’s two people with the same beliefs. They have one heart, one head, two hands and it really depends on who will give their all to win. I just want to have absolutely no regrets and make sure I give everything for the sport. Then I can get away from healthy sports, take care of my family financially and I can have a happy life then…” – Dean Sutherland
Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom stands alone, enjoying spring break after the usual whippings of Aberdeen Bay, which are but a stone’s throw away. The venue, which has been open and active since 1926, was once home to music giants including The Beatles, almost lifting its glass roof to the horrible noise of crazed fans. heat. North hasn’t been a hot boxing ring in the UK – or in Scotland – for a while. But the undefeated prospect, Dean Sutherland (12-0, 4KOs), is set to change that.
This weekend, as Fightzone goes on camera and pro boxing returns to Granite City, Sutherland is once again the main attraction, building an impressive 2021 and heading towards British, Commonwealth titles General and Europe. It is his fans who will cheer for their main event, the city’s great hope, while hanging from the beautiful, detailed balconies, and bouncing every inch off the dance floor. the venue’s infamous springs with each punch thrown. For Sutherland, this is not a strange thing; It is the realization of a dream.
“Fighting in Aberdeen, it was unbelievable. The support I had, even from my kickboxing days, was really huge back then and I pushed the level back to professional boxing. Even people I’ve never met contact me for tickets; They were all very interested and they all wanted to be a part of the journey,” explains the 23-year-old former cadet and world kickboxing champion.
“In Aberdeen, there are not many ways to be successful in sport right now. To be fair, we have a football team, but they play pretty badly, to be fair. The city is hungry and looking for some success, and I am very lucky that I am one of the characters they are behind. There’s Fightzone coming out, which regularly releases big works with good quality shows, that’s really exciting. It’s a great background and if I can get the nights out, we’re all good here. To me, it still feels strange that this is a job that I can do. Is crazy. I just have to pinch myself, wake up in the morning without having to put on tools and not have to go under the floor, now I’m very lucky, I know it.”
Over the past three months, the glare from the often gray northern giant has been able to hang its tools after receiving financial backing from an Aberdeen-based company – but we’ll can do that. Sutherland is keen to focus on her background in combat sport, says Social boxing that since he was 5 years old, he has been competing in taekwondo. Next, it was his transition to kickboxing as he entered his teens and he entered several amateur boxing matches to improve his hand speed.
In a sport that’s now rife with boxers coming back later in life, or with a bit of a knack for boxing, Sutherland is a refreshing reminder of a young man doing things. right: “There’s a competition every weekend if you really want to get into it – that’s pretty much what I did. I come home from school on Monday, find out where the competitions are going in the UK, talk to my mum and dad, and we plan to go there from Friday to Sunday almost every day. weekend. Travel, compete and find great success. I have achieved everything, and more, more than what I wanted to do. I’ve always had a passion for boxing, and the choice was: if it’s a big boxing event or a major UFC event, which one do I want to join or watch? That’s your right. ”
“I am a visual learner,” continues the now-retired, fully qualified electrician, “To this day, three times a week, I would just sit down and study rights videos. bro, maybe every hour or two. Not necessarily fighting all night, but can be training. I sat and watched guys like Roy Jones Jnr, Mayweather, Pacquiao, then people like Lomachenko just popped up when I turned pro. He’s only really started shooting a scene; he is this man, and I am fascinated by his movements, he is very agile, and he is the person who has had the biggest influence on me in terms of his movements. If I sit down and watch something for 15 minutes, half an hour, I can pick it up normally. I learn so quickly…”
Compliments have been pouring in north of Sutherland – and now south – of the border, especially in regards to his work. He’s slick, slippery, and expertly measured. The heads are starting to change, and with promoter Sam Kynoch linking up with Dennis Hobson, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the big battles begin.
In his last two games, he scored stoppage time goals against decent opponents (10-1 and 18-4 respectively) for the WBO Youth and WBC Silver International titles in the welterweight division. Stepping away from the pitfalls of the small Scottish hall cliché, his four rounds and rotation of recognizable journeymen, have allowed him to flourish. He believes it will only continue, and despite facing the bold, fearless Corey McCulloch (a pro with just six games to his name) who will fill the last minute in This Friday, Sutherland knows he now has a new job to do every times he stepped over the ropes.
“If you look back at my career, most people have [easy fights], they have more than five or six. I told Sam [Kynoch] the first day we signed, ‘I understand that I need to learn the basics of professional boxing, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself to me to step up, I want to step up.’ I am a multi-weight kickboxing world champion; I don’t need to pound the punching bag to get a little more dough. It’s easy to break my record these days because that’s what everyone wants to do. They want to post their shite on social media.
“I just came down to Earth, I want to compete with the best and be the best; that’s how I want my boxing career to be. I’m not afraid of losing. I’ve been beaten in kickboxing before; The last fight I fought in my kickboxing career was to unify all the weight classes, and I was defeated in that fight. [fight]. It’s something that won’t ruin my career, I won’t end it, it’s not like you won’t see me again. I’ll have to learn from those mistakes, and I’ll be back again. ”
While agreeing that Scottish boxers are likely to have a hard time climbing the perch after suffering defeat, Sutherland continued with her own mission statement: “One of the big goals for me is as soon as someone When it comes to Aberdeen boxing, they’ll say my name first. That’s what I want. I’m doing things the right way, I’m pushing myself, I’m taking risks and bringing in these crowds. I’m pushing the Aberdeen scene. ”
“We also have Billy Stewart, and he’s incredibly talented. His younger brother, Callum, was a very good amateur, and he would soon be an excellent professional; He’s very, very dangerous. Aberdeen boxing is just boiling, it’s smoldering and it’s waiting to take off. It’s been within safe reach for many years, and it’s proud for me to be the face of Aberdeen boxing – it’s a huge, huge thing. I’m doing this to put us on the map in British boxing and that’s why I’m working so hard. I’m nearing the finished, polished article, and it’s been an exciting journey. I believe I will be world class, and if I do, I will be able to retire a very, very happy man. ”
Thanks to Texo, an oil and gas recruiting specialist, Dean ‘Deadly’ was able to focus full time on boxing. The company joined the board after discussions with the boxer’s father, and loyal, loving fan, John, and although the couple knew they couldn’t ignore training and preparation. of Sutherland, their relationship with the Aberdeen-based powerhouse laid a solid foundation, allowing him to strike a balance he believed would prove invaluable.
“I worked 9 hours a day, plus a morning jog at 5 a.m., then I had to work out in the evening. For starters, I went down to Dundee at night for training, which lasted an extra three hours of travel. From a social point of view, I have never been better with my girlfriend, friends, family. Things are just much more comfortable from that point of view. A couple of weeks ago I went out with a team of my friends going to the fight, I think there were about 30 of us, and we just played football. I’ve been choking to get a kick for a few years, but I’ve never had the time to do it. ”
“Now, I have a choice. My best friend works offshore, so when he’s off his rotation I can see him, walking, drinking coffee. I just feel like a much happier boxer. You understand yourself; a happier fighter is a more dangerous fighter… It’s all about balance. When you’re working full time, it almost feels like you’re fighting or flying all the time; you are constantly rushing in, you cannot concentrate, your head is never fully amused. Always burn off some kind of negative energy – your head held high,” Aberdeen’s attraction star laughs, talking freely with the benefit of free time, for once.
What was evident when Sutherland caught on with Boxing Social was his sense of reality. Boxing can be a sport filled with egos, ‘yes’ men and boxers who continue to deliver slow, electrically charged punches at the unreachable. But in Sutherland, Aberdeen had a raw talent that, slowly dusted, began to sparkle. He speaks well and talks about his plans to give back to his local community, to parents who are suffering financially from the well-publicized decline of the city’s oil and gas industries. . Whatever world titles await him, we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. But he possessed the most valuable trait a boxer could boast: a clear mind and a vision for the future.
“Looking back at my career after it ended, I believe I will put Aberdeen boxing on the map. I want to inspire the next generation. One of the big things – although people think Aberdeen is the oil capital – there’s not as much money here as people think. There is a very small amount. I have had many people who had a lot of talent, but because of financial problems and their parents couldn’t afford it; I want to make it as successful and affordable as possible for the next generation. That’s what I really crave.”
