By Terence Dooley
This past Monday, Darren Sutherland’s suicide at his flat in Bromley, London left many in the sport of boxing feeling shocked, saddened and deeply sympathetic towards Darren’s family, who must be devastated. The 27-year-old prospect recorded a 4-0 (4KOs) professional slate; he won the bronze medal at middleweight in last year’s Olympics and turned pro under the expert guidance of Frank Maloney – who predicted a bright future for his Irish starlet. Indeed, Maloney invited the young boxer to share his home in the early days of his career. The promoter was taken into hospital on Tuesday after suffering the shock of discovering Darren’s body.
Since the tragedy, BoxingScene.com spoke with countless figures in the British boxing world. Below is a tribute to Darren, filled with testaments from people who knew him, or were inspired by him and those who believed in his ability and saw him a fighter who was destined for the top. Condolences are also sent out to his family. The below opinions are clear evidence to show just how much respect Darren had already earned within his chosen profession.
Matthew Macklin (former British middleweight champion) - I beat Darren as an amateur but he came back and later went on to fight for Ireland at the Olympics where he showed his talent and heart by winning the bonze medal. I’ve no doubt that he had the ability to go all the way as a pro. My heart goes out to him and his family.
Dominic Ingle (trainer of Junior Witter and Kell Brook) - Darren wrote my dad [Brendan Ingle] a letter asking if he could train with Naz and came over here to Sheffield. My dad spent a lot of time with him. I remember one day when Darren came into the gym and Naz took him out and bought him new clothes, a nice jacket and other things, so he’d look smart if he had to go anywhere.
He moved over here and won a few amateur fights. He boxed Matt Macklin in the amateurs and lost but he always carried on with his education in the meantime. Darren always wanted to get an education. Amateur boxing suited him as he could do his studying alongside the boxing.
He didn’t settle here and felt that he wanted to put everything into his education, as he was worried that he might not make it in boxing. He went to Ireland and stopped fighting for a few months. Darren did his studying, passed his exams, next thing he’s boxing for Ireland and doing really well for himself. He got the bronze, did his studying and dedicated himself to both pursuits.
Darren could have been one of those rare talents who you only see once in a while. He proved to be a good fighter in the amateurs and was on track to be a fantastic professional fighter.
Taking his own life is so out of character for Darren. He always seemed so strong and logical and planned his boxing and education so methodically. It has shocked the people in this gym. It is upsetting. Darren lived with Junior [Witter] for a year and knew all the fighters very well. People are confused about why it’s happened as he had so much going for him. He achieved what he wanted to achieve, he was building up steadily and had been in pressure situations before.
People in the big amateur tournaments are under a lot of pressure; more so than when they first turn professional so Darren could handle that pressure. He was steadily developing with Frank and was doing well with [trainer] Brian Lawrence.
Kell [Brook] saw Darren earlier in the year and Darren seemed to be lapping it all up, he was enjoying his career and the success he’d had so far. He was there on Saturday at the Tyson Fury fight and people say he was happy and smiling.
Darren’s dad is West Indian and his mum’s Irish, he has two younger sisters and they’ll all be devastated as he was the apple of their eye, he was the older brother and a good example to his sisters.
If Darren had turned pro at twenty or twenty-one you’d have seen him achieving pro success much sooner but he wanted to study. When you’re a professional you are on that ladder and have to keep on it, studying is hard to fit in, so Darren seemed to be following his own plan in doing his studies first. Darren was the type of kid who didn’t seem to let things get on top of him.
We’re all upset, as we knew him personally as a young kid. It was great to watch his career progress and a lot of kids down here are devastated. My dad is upset. I’m upset as I remember him as a kid who listened and hung off every word you said. Even though he moved back to Ireland you do remember them when they’ve moved on.
Enzo Calzaghe (trainer of Joe Calzaghe) - We wanted to sign Darren after his success at the Olympics. He sat down with Joe [Calzaghe] to have a chat but he went with Frank Maloney and we expected him to do really good things. Darren was a very good fighter and it is a complete shock. My heart goes out to his family.
Darren was doing well as a fighter, getting better and better. As a trainer, I know that you can never guarantee someone will get to the top but he had all the things you look for in a boxer. His ability spoke for itself. He was above the class of a novice and doing the lower rounds with ease. He was turning into a brilliant professional fighter as he had that style about him in the first place, that talent could have taken him to the top.
Physique aside, he had the style, the ability; he was built solidly but he also had the main ingredient – talent. Darren won a bronze medal at the Olympics and was destined to do well down the line; he was heading for the top. We’ll never know for sure but the talent was there for all to see. It is a terrible tragedy.
Adam Booth (trainer of former cruiserweight world champion David Haye) - Words cannot express just how sad and tragic Darren’s death is. He was a talented man who was a real gentleman. My thoughts are with his the family and friends, who love him. I hope he rests in true peace.
Joe Murray (who boxed at last year’s Olympic Games) - I knew Darren quite well. He was always there at amateur events and I always met up with him at fights. He was well respected for how well he’d done things as an amateur and we all knew him as one of the top lads in his division. He took his career seriously, writing everything down in his little diary. He always felt that he could beat anyone – he never lacked confidence. He always kept himself in good shape. Darren wanted to get to the gold medal in the Olympics and put all his hard work into trying to achieve that goal.
Darren was doing really well as a pro. He went from the high of fighting for the bronze medal at the Games to starting again at the bottom with us all as a pro; he would have got to the top in the pros as well. I feel really sorry for him and his family. Darren was always a strong kid. He was a clever lad inside and outside the ring and showed this by changing his style to adapt to the pro game.
Tony Jeffries (fellow bronze medalist at the Games) - It is a massive shock. I found out yesterday afternoon and I couldn’t believe it. It is a real shock to the system and I feel devastated. I’ve known Darren for a few years. We traveled around the world as amateurs and he would always stop for a chat. He never had a negative word to say about anyone. It is a massive loss to boxing. He was a great lad.
I’m one hundred percent sure that he would have made as a pro. I don’t think anyone was more dedicated than he was. Darren really loved boxing and would have come through and done well in the sport. I want to do something for him in my next fight. I will talk to Frank and see what we should do.
Anthony Crolla (super-featherweight contender) - I met Darren at my last fight; the Gary Sykes fight in Stoke when he was on the undercard stopping Vepkhia Tchilaia - who took James DeGale the distance in James’ pro debut. It is a sad, sad loss for the sport. Darren was seen as a future world champion, a proper one. He was halfway there to adapting well as a pro.
Darren was maybe the most suited out of the Olympic boxers in the eyes of many people. It is terrible and we’ve been robbed of a great talent. I didn’t know Darren well personally but everyone who knew him told me that he was a great guy and was going on to be a great boxer.
Jamie Moore (European light-middleweight champion) - I’m shocked and it is hard to understand how it came to this but my thoughts go out to Darren and his family. Every time I spoke to him it seemed that boxing was his life. People who worked around him said he was one of the most dedicated fighters that they’d come across. He was so easy going and it was a real big shock.
Darren was made for the pros and impressed in the early stages of the Olympics, you could see that his style was suited to the pros. He got the bronze and there was a lot of talent in the guy. No one could achieve what he did as an amateur without ability. He was title class, definitely. You knew that it would be there for him a few years down the line as a pro. He took to the pros like a duck to water and had all the tools to make it right to the top. This is a real tragedy.
Enzo Maccarinelli (Former WBO cruiserweight champion) - It is terrible news for Darren’s family. I’m a boxing fan and it is a big loss to the sport. From what I’d seen of him so far he had all the tools and I think we’ve lost a big talent. I enjoyed watching Darren, he came to fight, put on a show and wanted to win a fight as cleanly as possible. He was the pick of the Olympians for many people and Frank made the right move in signing him. It is a devastating blow for everyone involved with Darren and a big loss for the sport of boxing.
Femi Fehintola (former English super-featherweight champion) - I knew him from back in the Schoolboys and Juniors days when he was with Brendan Ingle. I remember him when he boxed against Matthew Macklin just down the road from my house. He was the most down-to-earth kid, one of those guys who everyone was rooting for when he went to the Olympics, a nice guy who always had time for people.
As kids, Darren would talk about how much protein we needed – he talked about the things that I’m just learning about now. It seemed a bit far-fetched as most lads were enjoying their life and their food but he was really, really passionate about this sport. He will be sadly missed.
In my eyes he was the Olympian – along with Joe Murray – who would have done big things, a future world champion. I was keeping really close tabs on him. I rang my manager Dennis [Hobson] up when Darren was at the Olympics and I told Dennis that he should sign him, as you could see that he would produce good performances as a pro.
I got up at 6am this morning to do my track work and saw the news. I’ve hit lows myself in the past six-months with my dad and granddad dying. I got through them by going to the gym and training. When I saw that news it was a big shock and a reality check, it motivated me to take a leaf from Darren’s book and push myself even harder in training. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Darren was an inspiration to fighters like me.
Johnny Eames (London-based trainer of Tony Oakey and Matt Marsh) - I had the pleasure of meeting Darren a couple of times and he was a true gentleman. No offence to the other lads but I’d put him and Billy Joe Saunders as the pick of the Olympians. Darren was a really good starter in the pros and just seemed to take it to it better than many amateurs do.
I am gutted about the news and can’t work out why this has happened. He always had nice things to say about everybody and seemed a happy guy. My thoughts go to his family and Frank. Frank put everything he had behind Darren and really believed in the guy. I think he’d have gone onto world honors and it is a shame that we’ll never know how far he’d have gone.
Kerry Kayes (conditioner and nutritionist) - I got a phone call late last night and it shows us that we should all collectively be responsible for all our athletes, brothers, sisters, family and friends. I went to the funeral recently of a 21-year-old kid who had all the success in the world but had killed himself. The first thing you do after that is have a chat with your kids and tell them that they can talk about any hidden demons that are affecting them.
I really feel for the Darren in that moment when he must have been on his own in that flat and contemplating doing this. My heart goes out to his friends and his family. I have been in his company a few times and he was always a very bubbly kid. He was also a very disciplined athlete. It is tragic. He was one of the most hopeful of the Olympians and Frank knew this when he took him on. I feel for his family, for Frank and for everyone around Darren.
Anthony Farnell (Manchester boxing legend) - I didn’t know Darren personally but I knew him to talk to and all boxers look out for each other and appreciate other boxers. It is terrible news and I feel for his family. I can’t believe that it came to this. As a boxer, I thought he was brilliant, what else can you say; he was superb, powerful, fast and had all the ability in the world.
Darren must have been under pressure or depressed. I had problems with depression myself; I suffered from a bad depression when I retired from boxing. He must have felt really low to do this. It is a terrible loss.
I remember that Darren’s family were always there for him. I watched Darren doing his training on Youtube; his dad was watching him and was always right behind him. The kid was so dedicated. It must have hit Frank hard as well.
I think that Darren could have gone all the way. I’m not just saying that – he had the style to make it as a pro. A great jab, strength behind it and everything you need to go far. He seemed so happy and cheerful. I just can’t believe it. Everyone talked about him as a nice guy.
Tundy Ajayi (trainer of Danny Williams and Akaash Bhatia) - Success is built on five principles: faith, hard work, perseverance, truth and honesty. Darren had of all of those qualities. RIP ‘Dazzo’. Gone but never to be forgotten.
John Murray (former English and British lightweight champion) - I heard it last night and it is tragic news. My thoughts go to his family and friends, who must be devastated. He was only twenty-seven and he had his whole career in front of him. It is a great loss to the game. I saw Darren win the Olympic bronze and he was very promising as a pro.
Darren beat DeGale four out of six times as a pro and for us to lose him so early in his career is a tragedy. I saw him stop a few guys and found his style very exciting; he was suited to the pros. He’d have been a really good fighter down the line.
Nadeem Siddique (light-welterweight contender) - He trained at Brendan’s gym as an amateur and he was a very talented guy. Brendan must have thought very highly of him, he was such a talent. Darren was a good-looking guy with a bright future ahead of him. I was looking forward to seeing him in the big fights.
It is a terrible for his family and a massive blow to the boxing world. He was in shape, confident and had all the attributes needed for success. Darren also had good people behind him and he proved Brendan right, as Brendan always said that Darren had talent. Darren proved he was the real deal by winning bronze at the Olympics.
We had a gathering yesterday and the non-boxing people there were shocked when they heard the news as they know from meeting people like Junior Witter that boxers are decent people.
Darren was also the hottest prospect bar none, wow, a super-middleweight mix of Miguel Cotto and Andre Berto; he had every shot in the book and would have been British title level within a few fights. Few people would have handled him a few years down the line, he’d have been awesome and would have been great for super-middleweight. He was one of the hottest prospects in the world in my mind. He had the right attitude, the confidence and a pleasing style.
Joe Gallagher (trainer of John and Joe Murray) - I’ve known him for years. I saw him coming through the amateur circuit and when he was based over in Sheffield with the Ingles. So much promise and potential and it will never be fulfilled – it is a cruel world sometimes and you don’t know what goes on in people’s minds. It is a shocking thing.
Darren had it mapped out for him and had the potential to achieve great things. He made all the right noises and was making the right moves in his fights. I wish a few of mine could be more like him in their approach. Brian Lawrence was also a big help to him down there in London, a very good coach with all the right ideas.
I thought Darren would go into the sunset and be a headliner at the O2 in Ireland for many years to come. Frank Maloney would have matched him to the British title and the European belt. Frank has guided many a good kid, he knows the business inside and out, there is no reason why Darren couldn’t have reached a world title with the talent that he had at his disposal.
Bobby Rimmer (trainer of Tony Jeffries and Brian Rose) - I was excited when Darren became a professional. I wished him all the best. It is so sad and tragic. It makes you wonder. It is hard to swallow as Darren had the whole world in front of him. We don’t know how his career would have gone but he was a talented kid, he had a bronze medal and he lost to the overall winner James DeGale, a kid he’d beaten four times before. Darren had all the makings of a star and could have gone onto become a great fighter.
It is tragic that a young lad felt so bad about things that he had to take his own life. We’ll never know how or felt or what drove him to it so your heart goes out to him in those final moments and to his family in the times to come. Whatever was wrong could have been put right. I can understand why Frank Maloney is devastated.
The mood in our gym is terrible today as the lads knew Darren and it is hard for them. Tony [Jeffries] was an Olympian with him. When they turned pro together they were proclaimed as the ‘future of boxing’ and you really felt that they were going to go far together. It is unbelievable and it cuts a little bit deep, as he’s a young lad who had a lot to look forward to in life.
Nigel Hardman (trainer and cutman) - I spoke to him at fights and he was a really nice guy. I watched him preparing for one of his fights and was really impressed with him in his early pro outings. He was title material, definitely. Darren adapted quickly to the pro game. It is very sad news for his family and for the sport. Darren was a settled fighter who was lovely to watch.
When I found out that he’d died I thought it was terribly sad to have a nice, young guy like that do what he did. My thoughts are with his family and with Frank Maloney who looked after him well early in his career. They’d have gone onto world title level. The potential was there.
Dave Coldwell (trainer of Ryan Rhodes) - We trained together at Brendan’s. Ryan [Rhodes] and me are really upset about this, as Darren was such a good kid. I saw how much faith Brendan had in him and always saw him as one the best prospects out there. It is so sad. I was shocked by the news because this kid loved the game and was going to make a successful career for himself.
Ryan and me saw him recently on the undercard of Jamie’s fight and he got out of the ring and stopped to talk, he was all gloved up and still sweating but he had the time to have a laugh with us and have a chat.
Darren did his talking in the ring and wasn’t one of these to sit on the apron and talk about what he’d do – he would go out and do it in the ring. Neutral crowds took to him wherever he went because of his attitude and no one was there to see him lose, everyone was behind him in his career.
Whatever the promotional group, you talk about prospects and Darren is right up there with the best ones in Britain. He was a kid that seemed on his way to great things. He seemed so happy about his career. The guy respected his peers and was really down-to-earth. Frank Maloney was doing a brilliant job with him and was taking him to the top.
Darren had everything going for him but you never know what is behind the smile, something really bad must have been in his mind for him to go through with this. We all know this kid and everyone who knows him knows what a right nice lad he is, they know that he is one of the nice guys in boxing and that he is appreciated by all of us.
Darren had all the videos and DVDs, he really studied the sport, even as a youngster, he was a smart kid, into his education so it is hard to understand why a kid with brains, who is going places and who seemed happy would do this, it is a real tragedy.
The last time I saw him, Darren was on top of the world, so happy. Your heart goes out to his family, as they are really nice people. Everyone who knew Darren loved him. Frank is close to his fighters and will be absolutely devastated, he had a lot of faith in Darren and it was because Darren was a nice guy, it is not just business. Frank has that personal touch with his fighters so it will be devastating for Frank – I hope Frank gets well soon. It is heartbreaking news.