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Each fight is a learning experience for any young boxer and 2008 U.S. Olympic first alternate Danny O’Connor is no exception. His pro debut in September resulted in a second-round stoppage of Jose Guerrido, but his November 11th win against 15 fight veteran Anthony Woods was much more important in terms of 23 year old O’Connor’s development process.
O’Connor, 2-0 (2), pitched a shutout against fellow light welterweight Anthony Woods, 5-11 (2), winning all four rounds on each of the three judge’s scorecards, 40-35, 40-36 and 40-36, at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
One invaluable lesson learned by O’Connor is that, when the action doesn’t go exactly according to pre-fight plans, adjustments must be made during the action. “It was an exciting fight to watch,” he said. “We both threw a lot of punches. He’s a tough fighter; game, coming forward throwing punches. So was I. I wanted to show more of my boxing skills than I did in my first fight. I did but not as much as I wanted to because I didn’t settled down, rather looking for a knockout, instead of boxing more.
“Every fight is a learning experience for me and I’m already applying what I learned from that fight in the gym. I did go four rounds and now I’m used to fighting 3-minute rounds. I can’t wait for my next fight.”
O’Connor, fighting out of Framingham, MA, won this year’s US Future Stars National Championship, in which he was named Most Outstanding Boxer, as well as the National Golden Gloves Tournament, both in the 141 pound light welterweight division.
Danny’s most notable victory as an amateur was a dominating performance against eventual 2008 Olympic Gold Medallist Felix Diaz, of the Dominican Republic, who O’Connor beat on May 29 in a USA-Dominican Republic dual meet.
Uncertain about the exact date of his next fight, O’Connor is working hard at the 401 Gym in Cranston, Rhode Island with his head trainer, Dave Keefe, who also co-manages Danny with Rob Valle. O’Connor is promoted by Seminole Warriors Boxing.
“Both Rob and I were glad Danny got some rounds in,” Keefe noted. “Seminole Warriors Boxing and our team are on the same page; knocking out everyone doesn’t always yield the best long-term results. These early fights are part of the learning process for Danny.”
For more information about Danny O’Connor go online to www.dannyoconnorboxing.com.
