| Darren Sutherland | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Darren John Sutherland |
| Nickname(s) | The Dazzler[1] |
| Rated at | Super-middleweight |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born | 18 April 1982 Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 14 September 2009 (aged 27) Bromley, London, England |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 4 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Wins by KO | 4 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Ireland | ||
| Men’s Boxing | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2008 Beijing | Middleweight |
| EU Amateur Championships | ||
| Gold | 2007 Dublin | Middleweight |
| Gold | 2008 Cetniewo | Middleweight |
Darren John Sutherland (18 April 1982 – 14 September 2009) was an Irish professional boxer from County Meath, Ireland. His amateur career was crowned by a bronze medal for Ireland in the middleweight division at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
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Sutherland represented the St. Saviour's ABC in Dublin and won the Leinster senior title in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He faced Edward Healy in the 2006 and 2007 Final and the young Darren O'Neill in 2008 winning all three.
At the World Championships 2007 he was beaten by Alfonso Blanco who went on to win a silver medal in the competition.
He was the third ranked European boxer in the middleweight division.
He lost at the first qualifier to English southpaw James DeGale 22:23 but qualified by winning a gold medal as the second Olympic qualifier for Europe. In the final he stopped Jean Mickael Raymond.
2005
2007
Sutherland reached the semi-finals of the boxing tournament in the 2008 Olympics and took a bronze medal. He lost his fight to James DeGale in the semi-finals 10-3.[5] Sutherland announced that it was his last ever amateur boxing match.[6]
2008
Following the exposure gained at the Olympics, Sutherland was offered a number of contracts as a professional boxer. In October 2008 he signed terms with London-based promoter Frank Maloney.[7] On 18 December 2008, Sutherland made a winning start to his professional career with a first round knockout of Georgi Iliev in Dublin. After the bout, Sutherland's promoter Frank Maloney said "I think we've found a real superstar here tonight and this is just the start of a long journey". His next fight, against Siarhei Navarka on 6 March at Robin Park Arena in Wigan, ended with Sutherland winning by a third round stoppage.[8]
Sutherland won his third fight at the Fenton Manor Sports Complex in Stoke-on-Trent on 29 May against Vepkhia Tchilaia. Sutherland won his next fight against Gennadiy Rasalev in York Hall, London.
| 4 Wins (4 Knockouts), 0 Defeat, 0 Draws | ||||||
| Result | Opponent | Date | Promotor | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Gennadiy Rasalev | 30/06/09 | Frank Moloney | York Hall, London | Last ever fight | |
| Win | Vepkhia Tchilaia | 29/05/09 | Frank Moloney | Fenton Manor Sports Complex, Stoke-on-Trent | ||
| Win | Siarhei Navarka | 06/06/09 | Frank Moloney | Robin Park Arena, Wigan | First fight in UK | |
| Win | Georgi Iliev | 18/12/08 | Frank Moloney | DCU Sports Complex, Dublin | First professional fight | |
On 14 September 2009, Sutherland was found dead at his apartment in Bromley, Greater London, by his promoter, Frank Maloney. He is alleged to have committed suicide by hanging himself. It has also been confirmed that he suffered from depression. Olympic gold medalist, James Degale commented on the death stating: "It is very, very sad news - I just can't believe it, It is a tragedy. First and foremost, my heart goes out to his family. I just could not believe it; my heart went to the floor when I heard. He was a big part of my Olympic medal journey and it is just terrible. I just do not know what to say except that he was a brilliant fighter, in fact an excellent fighter, and he was a gentleman outside the ring as well. He had an Olympic bronze medal and his whole life to look forward to. He had a great future, and my heart goes out to everyone who knew him."[9][10][1] [11]
He was exhumed in September 2010 for a further private postmortem at the request of his family.[12]