Emmet Brennan feels that Saturday's victory over Jamie Morrissey on the Katie Taylor undercard at the 3Arena was a significant milestone in his battle to get out of the negative spiral of depression that had engulfed his life following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Dubliner lost out in the first round at the Games, held in 2021, to Uzbek light-heavyweight Dilshodbek Ruzmetov, and his post-fight interview with RTÉ Sport was laced with emotion as the pain of the defeat seeped in.
As well as the mental strain, the new Celtic light-heavyweight champion endured a physical toll from that particular journey, something that heavily contributed to a difficult period in his life.
"My life from the second I got out of that ring sort of spiralled down a hole," Brennan told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.
"Post-Olympics I had a shoulder injury that just really wasn’t recovering, I ended up getting shoulder surgery five months post the Tokyo Games.
"I went over to New York then to go professional about three months after that and the shoulder still wasn’t really recovering.
"A lot of people have heard Greg O’Shea [rugby sevens player] talk about where you have the post-Olympic slump and depression; you don’t have this focus on where your life is going anymore.
"I went into a sort of spiral of depression and I started drinking heavy while I was in New York.
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"I’m home from New York 18 months – it's after taking me 18 months of chipping away day in, day out, really, really putting my whole life on hold and training full time to get to this moment.
"To actually get that moment in my second fight, I didn’t think it was going to happen but I suppose that’s a testament to myself, I kept going over the last 18 months.
"I’m in an extremely great place physically, mentally. Boxing wise, I’m starting to get the recognition I probably would have got post Olympics if I’d gone straight into the pros so things are starting to come together for me."
As well as his own personal emotional relief, the final round stoppage victory over Limerick man Morrissey provided some positivity for his family with his brother’s fiancée Gillian currently undergoing chemotherapy. Brennan brought her son, and his own godson, Ollie into the ring to enjoy the post-fight celebrations.
"Whatever it is, there’s always a dark moment for me on the big stage.
"His mother started chemotherapy on Friday and for me coming into this fight, I obviously had to put everything else on hold. It’s a selfish sport but my family is going through a lot with Gillian going into chemotherapy and she’s going through a lot obviously.
"It's going to be a tough few months for him and it’s going to be a tough few months for the family. That kid is my motivation."
"The kid, he’s eight years old, my godson Ollie, I absolutely love him to bits, he helps inspire and motivate me. It’s going to be a tough few months for him and it’s going to be a tough few months for the family. That kid is my motivation.
"He helps me be a better person so it was great to get him into the ring. He’ll go to school today and he’ll tell all his friends, he’s starting to think he is famous and stuff like that.
"I was telling him yesterday 'Eddie Hearn was asking about you and all the Matchroom staff were asking about you, saying who is that cute kid’. He’s loving it."
Brennan believes that the Croke Park trilogy match between Taylor and the vanquished Chantelle Cameron will take place – and he is also confident he will be there as a fighter rather than a supporter.
"It was a dream come true. I only live a kilometre from the 3Arena so it’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid and obviously we’ve been starved of professional boxing for the last few years in Ireland," he said of being involved in Saturday’s card.
"I didn’t actually think that the dream was going to come true, especially in my second professional fight, so for me yeah, it was a dream come true.
"I was trying to take the week in, I was trying to take the experience in and what an experience it was.
"Then obviously to see Katie do the business in the fashion that she did it in, coming back from defeat and a heavy defeat at that, the atmosphere was unbelievable.
"I’m after putting my best foot forward and I have a good manager [Darren Barker] who has close ties with Matchroom and DAZN, so I would be extremely confident that I’m going to get on that show," he added.
"You saw the show on Saturday, a few of the fights after mine, you could probably hear a pin drop in the crowd, there wasn’t much excitement around the fights, but people know when I come to fight I’m going to be an exciting fight."
