Local Boxer Danny O'Connor Ready To Avenge First Pro Loss In Lowell
BOSTON (CBS) -- Local boxer Danny O'Connor has a chance to avenge his first professional loss on Saturday night.
He also gets to do it in front of his home crowd.
The 30-year-old O'Connor, a welterweight from Framingham who has a 26-2 record with 10 knockouts, will square off against Gabriel "Tito" Bracero ( who touts a 23-2 record with four knockouts) Saturday night at the Premiere Boxing Champions at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Bracero was the man who handed O'Connor his first professional loss back in 2011, and four years later, he's ready to avenge one of the two blemishes on his record.
"I think what people have to understand is that I lost to the process," O'Connor told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman. "Gabriel Bracero was just a person standing in the ring that night.
"What I mean by that is it was my first time on Showtime, my first big fight. I didn't understand how to handle the pressure, and not just the pressure of sport but, at the same time my first son had just been born. Not only did I have to handle the pressure of life, but the pressure of one of my biggest sporting events yet," said O'Connor, who was 14-0 when the two first met. "A long training camp that should have been filled with fun and learning was more filled with stress and worry and anxiety.
"I didn't understand how to handle the pressure; I'm not even sure I was aware of the pressure," he said. "Ultimately it all manifested into just me beating myself down. It's always me vs. me; can I be better, can I fight better, can I do this better? In this instance, I lost to the process."
O'Connor was offered rematches against Bracero over the years but didn't feel he was ready, saying his preparation for such a bout was much more than just physical training.
Saturday's match does share some similarities to the first time these two battled in the ring, with O'Connor welcoming his second son to the world just a few weeks ago. But this time around, he has a nice balance that has filled him with plenty of confidence.
"There were a lot of things I needed to face and a lot of things mentally I needed to work on," he said, noting his mind will be the biggest X-factor on Saturday. "This time, I'm a different person. It's a separate event and I'm more than qualified with the tools to be able to handle everything that comes my way."
Whereas his first match with Bracero came in Texas, this time it will be in O'Connor's backyard. He's fought in front of his local fans at the first-ever boxing match at Gillette Stadium, TD Garden and several other venues around New England, and says nothing compares to putting on the gloves for all of New England to see.
"I love fighting at home. Being in front of my fans is one of the best feelings I get as an athlete and a performer."
Lowell was the place where O'Connor won the Golden Gloves back in 2008, and he can't wait to see what Saturday brings.
"I know the atmosphere is going to be amazing and I'm very excited to get back in the ring."
O'Connor also talks about his relationship with his two young sons, and how he balances family life with his boxing career: