I get knocked down, and I get up again

Bernard Dunne, as a young man, found that he had a fondness for hitting people. For a long time, as one of the world’s best technical boxers, this was enough – but not quite enough to become a world champion. And it was a failure during a defence of his European title that gave him that realisation.

Against the Spanish challenger, Kiko ‘La Sensacion’ Martinez, Bernard was knocked down in the first round, the fight being stopped after 86 seconds.

‘Technically, I was the best in the world. In people’s eyes, the day before Kiko came to Dublin I was the best thing since sliced bread – the day after I was washed up’ said Bernard to the Advant-edge attendees. ‘What Kiko made me realise was that my programme wasn’t right for me. I looked at my team and begin looking strategically at how I trained. I changed my whole programme after that – all because I had lost.’

For Bernard, winning had led to a complacency in thinking. After winning 13 amateur titles in Ireland and rising through the ranks as a professional to become European champion, becoming world champion would require a new way to reach the top.

In March 2009, around 18 months after the loss to Kiko, Bernard Dunne became WBA Bantamweight World Champion.

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Hugh Torpey is the Content Manager at the IMI. This article is based on a Advant-Edge talk given at the IMI by Bernard Dunne for IMI Members. For more on IMI Membership, go here.