Dublin Zoo

GERRY CREIGHTON knew how to handle lions and gorillas at a young age — so handling himself in a boxing ring was no big deal.A second-generation zook.

It was a wonderful childhood and you were kind of always the centre of attention. “I remember going up to one club up there and the whole place was boarded up. “It was such a positive thing to be growing up with. “A dog will always wait at the door for you, 365 days a year, very uncomplicated. There were times when there’d be 20 of us in the back of a Hiace van going up to Belfast for a boxing match. Hanging up the gloves, and leaving Seoul in the rear-view, was a must to get to where he is now. “Nicholas used to torment us but Dennis Galvin was a bit of a messer. “We managed to get a day off training. “I knew he was over there with the American team. “And the commitment needed for me to be a full-time successful boxer, I just couldn’t give it. He recalled: “I’m in a bar in Colorado about three or four years ago. I was doing so well in the zoo and getting great opportunities there.