Danny O'Connor

Daniel Thomas O'Connor (born March 30, 1985) is an American professional boxer.

O'Connor was the 2007 US Olympic Trials bronze medalist and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team alternate.

He ended his amateur career with a record of 110 wins and 11 losses.

O'Connor, a four-time New England Golden Gloves champion, won the 2008 national Golden Gloves at light welterweight.

O'Connor also won the US Nationals in 2008 and was voted outstanding boxer of the tournament.

Winning these two national tournaments in the same year back to back put O'Connor in an elite list of boxers who have accomplished this which includes Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns.

Danny's most notable victory as an amateur was a dominant 23-3 win against eventual 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Manuel Félix Díaz.

O'Connor was featured in the May 5, 2008, issue of Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd.

O'Connor's amateur career accomplishments have helped take him to places such as Russia and China to compete in tournaments.

However, Danny credits his "New England upbringing as the explanation for his success. There is no special formula. Old-fashioned hard work, desire, and dedication are how results are rendered."

Upon returning from the Beijing Olympics, O'Connor turned pro on September 17, 2008.

Danny signed under Warriors Boxing and Dibella entertainment.

O'Connor was managed by Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys.

O'Connor and Casey met through Casey's charity, The Claddagh fund.

Danny and Ken struck up a friendship and decided they both had the same goals, to bring the sport of Boxing back to the city of Boston and New England.

Together O'Connor and Casey are creating events that include sports and rock-n-roll.

O'Connor explains, "The boxing business is a tough business, but at the end of the day, it's the entertainment business. Together with the Dropkicks, I think we can create something special in Boston and beyond. I'm so excited for the future"

O'Connors' training camp was based in Houston.

His former boxing coach is Hall of Fame trainer Ronnie Shields.

After Shields retired from boxing, he became a prominent trainer in the sport.

O'Connor speaks of his trainer during an interview, "Coach Ronnie gave me my life back," he says.

"He is truly a teacher and being taught by him is an honor for me."

O'Connor trains at a facility called "Plex" which is a conditioning gym that houses all kinds of professional athletes run by Danny Arnold.

Danny Arnold is also O'Connors' strength and conditioning coach.

O'Connor has boxed 104 rounds with a knock out percentage of 33.33% in his professional career.

As of July 7th 2010, O'Connor fought for the boxing promotion Murphys Boxing, which was founded by Ken Casey of the Boston punk band, Dropkick Murphys.

An Irish American, O'Connor started playing soccer at the age of five and continued throughout high school.

He remains an avid soccer fan and is a supporter of Celtic F.C., Liverpool F.C., his hometown team the, New England Revolution, and is a member of American Outlaws US Soccer Supporters.

After meeting O'Connor and learning of his loyal support, the New England Revolutions made O'Connor an honorary captain for the 6/2/12 Revs versus Chicago Fire game.

Along with a passion for soccer, Danny developed a love of boxing while growing up by spending every Friday evening in front of the TV set with his grandfather watching Friday Night Fights.

This introduced him to boxing at a young age.

O'Connor decided to start boxing at 16 years old at the Framingham Police Athletic League in Framingham, Massachusetts.

As a child growing up without cable television, Danny's mother taught him how to sew.

This skill he honed and later used in his early boxing career.

O'Connor, "I make all my own outfits. When I was a kid, I didn't have cable and there wasn't much to do, so my mother taught me how to sew. I make all my outfits from scratch. I go to the fabric store and sew them up myself."

In May 2012 O'Connor headlined the first ever professional boxing card at the Boston House of Blues directly across from Fenway Park.

It was his first home town fight in three years.

The Old Brigade open for the Dropkick Murphys, who played few songs before O'Connor took the ring.

Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys returned to the ring as one of Dannys' corner men for the fight.

O'Connor followed up that win by headlining the first-ever boxing card at Gillette Stadium on August 12, 2012.