British boxing became a poorer place this week as Heywood entertainer, Kieran Farrell, was forced to announce an unfortunate, but necessary, premature retirement from the sport. Farrell’s decision was made for him by doctors who have monitored his progress since he was stretchered from the ring back in December following a domestic classic with fellow Greater Manchester warrior, Anthony Crolla. Farrell remained optimistic throughout his recovery that he would one day box again but was left devastated by doctors.
“When the doctor was telling me, I had a big lump in my throat and my eyes were starting to fill up but I didn’t want to cry because my dad and brother were in there with me and I didn’t want them thinking I was a big girl. What he was telling me took a while to sink in but I know deep down it’s for the best and it just means that I’ve got to start my life from scratch all over again. I’ve been getting great support from Spencer Oliver and he’s been brilliant every step of the way and I can’t thank him enough for his advice. The support from Dave Coldwell and all the boxing fans on Twitter has also been great and it’s really nice to read all of their messages.”
After leaving the sport with an impressive 14-1 ledger, 22 year old Farrell points to his Central Area victory against Derby’s Joe Elfidh and his gruelling English title battle with Crolla as the highlights of a short career which surely had many more bright spots ahead. Despite having many more wonderful nights cruelly taken away from him, Farrell maintains a proud stance when discussing his career.
“First and foremost, I’m a boxing fan and I love watching great fights. When I look back at fights from my career, I see a fighter who is always trying to please the fans with an exciting style. I was always walking forward, always letting my hands go and always fighting back when I was under pressure. I had the pleasure of being in some great fights with some great fighters and I never give less than 100% no matter what. I really hope I made an impression on people and that they had a good time whenever they watched me fight.”
With his passion for boxing painfully obvious, Farrell is confident of remaining in the sport and has already looked at some industrial units close to home in the hope of establishing a boxing gym in his area. With a wealth of knowledge ready to pass on and a work ethic unlikely to be matched, Farrell lending his wisdom to other young fighters certainly seems a grand idea.
“Boxing is all I’ve ever known since I was a seven year old boy growing up and even though I can’t fight no more, there’s no way that I can leave the sport entirely. I’ve spoke with Dave [Coldwell] about setting up a gym and he believes in me and he thinks I’ve got what it takes so it’s something that I’d definitely like to do. Boxing has given me so much but I still think I had so much left to take from the sport but that’s not going to happen now so it’s time for me to move on and start all over again. If training fighters gives me half the buzz as fighting did then it’ll all be worth it.”
Coldwell Boxing is currently in the process of arranging a benefit dinner for Kieran Farrell and his family and we will also be holding collections at our forthcoming shows in Rotherham and Manchester. We will keep you constantly updated on how you can get involved.