HENRY Cooper topped the bill in March 1961 when Alex O’Neill fought Brian Cartright at the famous Empire Pool at Wembley.
Two fights later, Cooper famously had Muhammad Ali on the canvas but ‘the Greatest’ used his wits to ride out the storm and ‘Our ‘Enry’ was stopped on cuts in the next round.
Meanwhile, Belfast native Alex was 2-0 when he travelled to London in 1961 and he fought for the Northern Ireland super-featherweight title before he hung up his gloves in 1965 with a record of 7-8-1.
His son, Alex junior, was a seven-time Irish amateur champion and on February 1 his son Jack O’Neill continues the family’s fighting tradition when he dips through the ropes at the Ulster Hall.
Jack (24) has impressed on his way to shutout points wins in his two outings so far and he hopes to build on a promising start live on BBC NI.
“The Ulster Hall is iconic and the atmosphere is electric,” said super-bantam O’Neill.
“I won my first Ulster Elite title at the Ulster Hall and, with the balcony, you feel like the people are on top of you when you’re in the ring. The only thing I don’t like is it is roasting in there! You have to expect that because it’s a small venue and it’s always packed out so this show will be amazing.”
As an amateur O’Neill was regarded as a talented boxer. He was on his toes, hitting and moving and opponents found him difficult to catch. Now trained by former professional Ray Ginley, O’Neill says his style has been transformed.
“I’m sitting down on my punches now,” he says.
“I hold my feet a lot more and put all my weight behind my punches. It’s good to have that Plan B if I ever need it that I can get on my bike and box but I’m really enjoying learning the new stuff with Ray.
“It’s not just going to get fit for a fight – I’m learning and adapting and trying all the techniques too.”
Ireland versus England in the Six Nations Rugby is the appetiser for the February 1 bill on Bedford Street and O’Neill hopes to show armchair boxing fans how he is developing as a pro.
“The more eyes on you the better,” he says.
“You want people to watch and go: ‘That kid’s good, when’s he fighting next?’ I don’t think there’s pressure but, at the same time, you wouldn’t want to get in there and beat someone and be boring.
“I’ll not be going in there to try and kill the other guy and put myself in danger but I’m going in to throw a lot of punches, try and hurt the other guys and look good doing it so it’s entertaining for everyone.
“When you’re up against a journeyman you find they’re good at tucking up, they fight every four weeks and if you stop them (and they’re unable to take their next fight) you’re taking money out of their pocket. So they’re good at covering up whereas if someone’s throwing punches at you it’s easier to time them and catch them. It’s the shot you don’t see that puts you away.”
His brother Alex was the first to get started at the local Oliver Plunkett ABC and Jack joined him in the gym aged 11. He wasn’t aware of the O’Neill boxing pedigree until he took up the sport.
“I just took to it naturally,” he said.
“I was quite good at football when I was younger. I played for Cliftonville but when I got to 14 it got to the point where I had to pick one or the other and I picked boxing. My da was a seven-time Irish champion and my granda was a professional so I just have to be better than them two and I can say I was the greatest in the family!
“When Ray first asked me to turn over (become a pro) I told him and I wanted to have a chat with my da before I made the decision. My da had a chance to go pro himself when he was 17 and he didn’t take it and I think he regrets it.
“So I sat down with him and chatted about it and he said: ‘Listen, sometimes you get an opportunity and you just have to take it’. So that was good enough for me, the decision was made and I turned over.
“When I get to my da’s age I want to be able to say I have no regrets. Wherever I go, however far I get at least I can say I gave it everything.”
And for Jack “giving it everything” means putting it all in as he makes his way up the greasy ladder of professional boxing.
“There’ll be a lot of 6am runs and a lot of dedication to make weight but I love all this,” he says.
“I missed out on nights out and stuff over Christmas but that just gets me more motivated. When I get into the ring I know I’m mentally and physically ready because I’ve done all I need to do.
“You can get hurt in this game. You can’t half-ass it. As an amateur I might have done that for a wee while until I got to senior and my da said to me: ‘You can’t get away with this no more, you’re all in or you’re all out’ so that’s what I live by now. I’m all in.”
