Phillip Sutcliffe Snr Edit
Mon, 10/25 7:24PM • 26:48
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
coaches, boxing, boxing club, punch, club, people, gym, champions, teach, boxer, philip, bit, walk, train, conor mcgregor, ireland, gave, good, kids, shots
SPEAKERS
Philip Sutcliffe Snr, Paul Barnett
Paul Barnett 00:00
Mr. Phillips Sutcliffe, senior. Good afternoon, and welcome to the great coaches podcast.
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 00:05
Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be able to do the interview.
Paul Barnett 00:08
I want to start with a really simple question. Philip, can you just tell us where you are in the world today and what you've been up to so far?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 00:14
Well, at the moment, I'm in power Tran. donabate just showed parkrun. It's a beautiful place. Just also the Dublin suburbs in a place called the shoreline hotel, you're only allowed 15 people in a specific area and decided a little bit of more than a specific area, we have about 25 tables well spaced apart. Somebody all of people have made a point. A lot of people are just having lunch. I'm able to and my daughter and my wife am having lunch, and we brought the dog or walk on the beautiful beach out here in donabate.
Paul Barnett 00:48
Well, I appreciate you taking some time away from the beach to talk to me. I'll try and make this discussion entertaining. Okay, no problem. Philip, you are an Olympian yourself. You went to two Olympics 1980 and 1984, as well as many European Championships but you've also been around some great coaches like John Kevin, ah, and Billy Walsh, just to name a couple. But from this perspective, what is it you think that the great coaches do differently?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 01:13
We keep on learning? Did you hear that?
Paul Barnett 01:15
I heard it
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 01:16
and we keep on learning. All coaches are great coaches must keep on learning. And you learn every day you learn from the children that you teach you learn from the adults that are surrounded, you learn from different mistakes you make, you make things better[PB1] . I've been very successful as a coach. I've been involved in Olympics Europeans. I've also box and Olympics and Europeans have also been involved with boxes of gold medals, my route baugruppen European gold medalists and European Bronze medalists and motorcrew War Bronze medalists have also been in with Glenn Stevens who was a fantastic book. So my own brother that one eight or his titles mate, we follow the winners titles. In the boxes. It was 10 years of age, and we rearrested when COVID came.
Paul Barnett 02:00
I wanted to ask you about your family, actually, because you come from this great boxing tradition, these wonderful people that have thought on and won titles and for many, many years, what elements of that upbringing from your family are present in your own coaching philosophy,
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 02:16
hard work and dedication. Basically, if you don't do it the first time try again and never give up on trying try and achieve more than your treatments. Keep on going. Sky's the limit. [PB2] Now I'm getting a bit older now. I'm probably a little bit laid back. But I still have those achievements. And the achievements I want to make. We have a great club and chrome and boxing club. But one of the most successful clubs here in Ireland and we producers champions every single year, except this year because of the COVID because their national championship was beyond and around and we would have done well. We had a few kids in the semi finals with a few youths in the finals for everything got shut down because of this so called Coronavirus.
Paul Barnett 03:01
I wanted to talk to you about the Kremlin boxing club because that's where your head coach today but back in 1992 it was derelict and you and your friends paddy wheel and and Gary Griffin resurrected it flash forward to 2015 You've produced 30 champions that I could count at a local or national level. You've won the Best boxing club in Ireland. And I just wanted to ask you when you started in 1992 What were you setting out to try and achieve
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 03:28
I was trying to try and achieve something that Jim had already achieved but myself and have the same outlook as to coaches to train me and indirim number Boxing Club your job been with the famous Mattel and we also have when I packed up coaching and the combat boxing I had asked and crewed by two who's very knowledgeable coach, he did a great job of me. Very fair. He did a good job with some of the boxes and he did a fantastic job of his own sons
Paul Barnett 03:54 (REDO)
is a great photo of you meeting Muhammad Ali at the 1980 Olympics. And I wanted to talk about inspirations because you said I read an article you said there was something very special about him. You're there beside him smiling away. I believe he called you a leprechaun. But I'm wondering who the other mentors that was
There is a great photo of you as a young man meeting Muhammed Ali, and Ive read where you said that there was some thing very special about him. Could you tell us about that experience.
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 04:13
not the Olympics that was at its camp in Pennsylvania. We went before the buck Cheney Shea was we went on a tour we're boxing over in America and we were all so proud to meet him and his Angelo Dundee was Angelo Dundee and Kosha was it yeah was he had about five log cabins in this training camp. One for everything I needed to do a boxing gym just to speed balls and one punch bag and fantastic 20 by 20 ring. And he gave us an entertaining day out but then after we posted a few photographs, but he was sitting down on the chair. He says, You to leprechauns. usyers come over and sit on my lap and a band that I was only 19 1819 at the time and that was it was a book that he think is calling a leprechaun? It was a joint of a man right now I'm a bigger man At the time when you meet your hero, and then I told him to eff off and they said they're not sitting on the way now, leprechaun, he got a little bit upset a little bit. That part is one or two seconds put in his own time. He just turned around to come on over. You just You just gave me a log. That's why I didn't look at him. I was still a bit upset.
Paul Barnett 05:19
Gray, great photo. It's a great phone. I
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 05:21
wish it was on his lap now because he was my hero. And I told him he was such an amazing boxer to come back from the brink of nothing. After being beaten and to take on a false charge from and to do what he did to George. He only told me bet against them. In a bet I bet against been George I thought George Foreman is going to be too physically strong. Oh, my God, didn't he do a fantastic job?
Paul Barnett 05:42
Who are your other mentors or inspirations as a coach
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 05:45
as a coach on Monday, Landon Afula from and he wanted to take me over with a guy called Laszlo from Hungary. I used to watch him. I went to Hungary twice. He used to send letters over and someone used to translate them for me. He wanted me to come over and he wanted to train. But I was only 1718 years old at the time and I was still a home word even today. He sees something in me but I see something in leather perhaps train. The way the gym stood still when he went in and the way everybody you could drop a pin when he's given instructions. I didn't speak Hungarian. He's spoken gay. But I watched him in the gym and he was training Oh, some sort of an academy hat for the boxing but it was other academies around but I look up to him so much. I think he won two gold medals in the Olympics. He went to America in a headlock story because he wouldn't let his family travel over. When he was at the nominal level. He was one of my heroes. And then the man that told me over from being just a mediocre amateur boxer to a senior elite boxer will be Mick Dowling. He was one of my mentors and he's a such a fantastic coach. On a one to one basis he bring you very very far. With Amanda really started me off when I was 10 with a boy called Joe being he had a he had such a way with kids. And when others he was precise, he was friendly. He was fair he was our is always on the ball. He never seemed to lose his head if you got the shot wrong. He was just great. Total Joe being McDowell and Laszlo poppity would be some of the coaches that I would have looked up to. Most of my experience came from laning was watching kids and watching kids bringing things home and watching it acquires child shots on a scene a shot that would walk and we have a Russian we have a Reagan though we have evolved different types of shots we have under change. Our club has our own little shots. It's kind of makes criminals special it makes from a special in Ireland because everywhere we go, what is shot there, what does that shot, most of these shots will go home when the brothers might put boxes because they used to say don't bring me home a t shirt, bring me home a punch so I can do something with it. And that's where I've been learning. I'm still learning. I'm still watching all our years and we're going to 1992 but it was in primitive before that for 22 years. I'm around the block a bit. But I'm still learning I'm still watching and still trying to pick up things. And we have a crew of coaches in our club. We Our club is very special. Our club is a family. People come to mingle. We've gone on boxing trips every single year when we go on a boxing trip to Spain. We like to be only 15. But now all of a sudden the 60 or 70 mommies daddies do want to come and be part of something special.
Paul Barnett 08:17
What about this Crumlin punch? I'm probably pronouncing it wrong. Kremlin the Kremlin punch. Can you tell me what it is and how you go about coaching it
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 08:26
the cromolyn punches a few of them. We have to Sugar Ray, with Sugar Ray data says combination of four very fast shots taken on the surprise of your opponent, he doesn't know what's coming in all of a sudden, you could win a fight that fight could be very, very close. And the last five or six punches could change the judge's decision. And it's one of so many titles is Sugar Ray.
Paul Barnett 08:47
If you were going to teach me if I wandered into the gym tomorrow and I said Philip Sutcliffe Can you teach me the criminal punch? How would you break it down for me?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 08:55
I can break down the sugar a bit. First of all, if you come in the gym tomorrow, to teach boxing we learned how to stand how to balance how to troll punch. We wouldn't teach a straightaway sugar array we get your hand up your elbows and your chin down. Step forward step to the side step back we'd learn your loads fundamentals force before you move on to the sugar array to Reagan though, the Russian but if I teach you the sugar array, your opponent would be just coming in at you or going away from you if he's coming into attack and he's not expecting another attack a counter attack from his opponent but it's very very fast you lead with your backhand for shipping it from black power cables which are backlit very very frequently very very fast like Sugar Ray did when he opened up he was nice and thing and then you'd open up a 567 punches but there was a point punch combination. right left, right, left right and pum pum pum pum pum and this is a surprise combination. Like if you're coming to attack and you're feeling safe and suddenly someone counters attacking or if you're happy just jabbing in a noise mode moving around the ring and all of a sudden someone rushes forward or five punches straight away. That's what we will teach you but it will be taught slow Only until you get your punches back. Right? We will tell you when to troll it when not to be able to throat, things like that. That's what you're coming into the club.
Paul Barnett 10:07
Ireland has such a deep and successful history of boxing 16 of its 31 Olympic medals have been in boxing. What is it about the Irish spirit and culture that just makes them so good at boxing?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 10:20
Well, I'd say basically, it's a will to win. It's a minority sport. And over here, it's a pro man sport. And it's very easy to get involved with. There's no big subscription to get involved. years ago, it wouldn't be too expensive to join a boxing club and a lot of kids just went up,
Paul Barnett 10:37
you were just about to give away the secrets about the why the iris is so good at boxing. And I think it went quiet on purpose so that nobody else can hear
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 10:46
now basically is, as I say, it's a pro man sport. It's a minority sport in Ireland. And years ago, your parents wouldn't have had too much money to let you join a boxing club. It would have been very cheap to join a boxing club and your equipment was mostly supplied by the club, boxers would have felt happy with the mommies and daddies would have felt happy sending the children there. But for kids to be and it was basically in very poor areas that were Boxing Clubs where the basically you don't find Boxing Clubs in Prague or you will not be pointing them in an area where there's deprivation, there's not much going on a lot of unemployment and people will join a boxing club. And it's nice to be tough. There's no to be able to stand up for yourself on the street and no one's gonna pick on and basically that's why men that these would take like nowadays you have children coming in from school than the man we want say I want to talk in a more. There's a lot of soft people in boxing, but a lot of soft people will be capable of handling themselves. There's very few bullies in boxing as a sport you go away to stay away from a fight proud and get into a fight. There's a lot of gentlemen, I know the ladies, the ladies are taken over to the Carol's we have some fantastic carers in Ireland we have Katie Taylor coming to our club since she's only nine or 10 was shown Boxster gave Kate year ForcePlates my son box turtle how to grade one of our cromolyn coaches. His son box them and another one of her other books that we have to tell her leave on the head guy don't show your again, because she was exceptional. She was a talent from a baby. Everything that she gets, she deserves
Paul Barnett 12:15
all that gold medal that she's got was an amazing moment to watch her win that fight.
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 12:19
I was over there. We were all over there. There was about 40 from our club.
Paul Barnett 12:23
How was it?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 12:24
I mean, yeah, it was fantastic. The magic was there. It was pretty close. But she did deserve it very, very close. The Russian really gave her half but it was super tactical powder and Beulah coach is all happy. And it was great. I won't say equally as good as mica croute winning the gold because Michael was one of my own little boys only when I trained him. But it was a fantastic achievement. Michael won the gold medal. It was it was just I just wrote I wrote about the emotion just came out. I just couldn't stop just so happened. One of our own boys, one of the Jimena boys at the time. It was great.
Paul Barnett 12:55
There's another one of your books is that a few people might have heard of, let me just see if I pronounced his name correctly. Conor McGregor. That's right. I mean, he's known I know he came in as a teenager and you helped him Connor
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 13:06
come in as a child to kind of come in at 10 years of age we come in in this football boots on the back coaches, Steven cabinet said you have to get them off. So now they were on the floor with them. I just want to hit the bags. He said they said you can't get the boots off. So he started hitting one of the bags I think is literally as bad I'm not so sure I think it was as motor to train that was for the football he played for one of the junior complaining cromolyn he just walked into Darwin one evening, and it was a brilliant evening the committee start punching the bags and he said I want to join them. And he sent them over to me and I said well you can join when your parents whenever they parents come down and be joined up and signed the papers blah, blah, blah. And then he stayed silly Isabelle very good, technically, very good the practice and practice and practice and practice. He started messing around with mixed martial arts when he was about 1516 years of age. And it was kind of given them a better stick over looking back now like you see, I want to let go at that time, which is a boxing man. And that was this. I mean, I wasn't never made into martial arts. He stayed was he had a good few points and it was backwards again. He's training there wasn't always a way in Monaco and they're all same strange, horrible team. But the things he's a gentleman he's very good to our club is very good to his football club and he still has a note and I walked from there where his last fight I walked from for about a month on a train. He is so dedicated to what he does. If someone were foyers someone were boxes as dedicated as him. Dr. Ted he puts it and the beauty of it. He's never forgot the Russian to Sugar Ray, the Rigondeaux from those days, and it's fantastic that he still knew that we come back in the gym, and after three weeks in the gym, you think he'd never left? Can he brought all his shots into the octagon. And you have to remember in the Octagon most of his wins were from conscious the most of his boxing scale was on the football key land in the criminal Boxing Club. And in fairness now he says in all his interviews some of that I'm about boxing skills and he always brings back the boxing club and its culture. So to add to Brady,
Paul Barnett 15:06
you're being a bit modest here I've got the quote right in front of me It says, Phil so cliff is a phenomenal boxing coach in my time underfill in crumbling boxing club, I learned so many fundamentals that I still carry with me today. That's a great endorsement. Philip, congratulations on having an athlete. So many years later, remember you but also referenced that but I actually wanted to ask you what are the fundamentals that a boxer needs to master if they're going to become elite? What steps them up into that next group?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 15:36
Good shape balls force by heart. Because when you move up the grades, you have to be tough physically and mentally, the fundamentals what would be your stance, your balance on the way your toe a punch? We have people with power, you have people with no power that still carry power one stir the fundamentals of puppy tar. We own song was one of the hardest punches that ever come out common in boxing, and even Crosby another good puncher. And McGregor has a backhand are really really Horton shown in the octagon is shown even when he for Floyd Mayweather, everyone thought it was a joke. But in the job as well, people would say Conor McGregor hit Floyd Mayweather with more punches than any other fighter he ever fall in the shark is around an encounter tomyam for which he wasn't trying to put too much power into them shot because the first time he did it with 10 or 12 rounds. So he wanted to keep going. I said that was the wrong tactics. But then he didn't use me for that company was so sorry that he didn't mean but I can't. But he has so many people around them telling them things. And when he got back when he got his feet on the ground, and I think he has his feet on the ground when he's in cromolyn. He has his feet on the ground. He's still a boxer, it's still a floater in the gym, you still have to deal with when he's told, you still have to carry out those fundamentals. As you're speaking, he still has to do to time and he still had to do everything. That's part of passion of our boxing club. And it's written on the wall. And we've had coaching we had to take it off because there's coaches from from all over the world, taking photographs that are fundamental punches on the wall, and they're taking them and bringing them away with them. They can have photographs, and we don't have to teach them and correctly do them. With your fingers. It's all a one with any photograph, every club and blotter cop good coaches have praised great boxers, but a great coach, bring someone from the beginning to the very top. And that's a great coach from the juvenile stay with them, and bring them all the way. And then when the time is right for your foot and a good coach will notice. Then take them up the next step. Some coaches pushed our boxes too early, and some way too late. And the magic is getting the report and in the middle, just now what's the time and then you need that elemental. You need to time in place and whatever the goal is that you need to competition, and you need to spend. That's the middle of that you can have at that particular time was when you pushed up the element of a good coach,[PB3]
Paul Barnett 17:55
I want to talk a little bit about you said that I need to be tough, they need to be hard. But that walk from the changing rooms to the ring. There must be a moment when nerves are very high, really high. Is there a way or a routine or a method that you use to help people control their nerves?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 18:13
Yes, yes, doesn't matter then it's learned over the years. Every fighter, I've seen some fighters I've been with some fighters over the years and I've learned from a lot of most of them just concentrating on what they've done. believe in themselves. If you don't believe in themselves, making that walk colludes into making that work getting on top. But you have seen for yourself so good in the gym, so strong in the gym. And then when they get into the ring after making that small walk, it doesn't matter if it's from the dressing room in a boxing club, or the dressing from the mattress Prager, some of them just lose th is very, very hard to get back. Especially if you don't start right. It all starts with as you said, The walk is very, very important. And the coach in his ear, walking that walk is very important to and if he trusts to coach in his ear, Helen, the change that he knows and only a coach will know this template things he knows that the boxer can do. That makes a big difference.[PB4]
Paul Barnett 19:09
And for a business other element of boxing you talked about before you know boxing being gentlemen, but you are teaching them a combat sport, it'd be tough and be aggressive. And I guess your role as a coach has to be to help them not taking that aggression into their daily life to help them find that line. Is that true? Is that part of coaching or is it more of the individual
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 19:30
and coach watered salt? You'd be like a social worker, especially these days so many children? demanded children, the sun, antidepressants wonder 11 years of age, even in this country. It's terrible. The amount of drugs has been pushed on young adults. Apart from the social, the melters will keep appealing life in our schools he took I'm not saying to hit children, but children have to learn discipline from growing up and basically come from your house. They don't see discipline in your house. should pay out simpletons for the hang up your coat on me put your school bag away. Did you do your homework? You need to do your chores this week did you put out the bins, little things like that come into effect Mallos that's the discipline and then it goes to school. It makes it easier for a teacher to teach in the summer sit down want to learn. They want to know the English, French maths German, any subject that they want to learn. It makes it easier for the teacher because of all these children of ABC and D ch determine destroy perdition that truck for instead trying to sort it out. Now we're not going to be the man the sore throat when they come to the gym. They want to be in most boxing gyms have rules. And if you don't stick to the rules, and they want to stay boxing, just stick to them rules are out the door. And it's a hard lesson[PB5] . Pile of straights take the phones off because they're on the too late at night tick tock now whatever they're doing, will you tell it some of the kids from you're not going to the boxing club. The discipline is kids want to be in the gym they want to be out there in a strict environment. The boxing gym is a strict and warm for it's a fair, fair, friendly environment. It's a fair, fair, friendly environment that they can mix with other kids that want the same thing. They're not all going to be champions we know that there's very few Conor McGregor still Sutcliffe's. Glenn Stevens smacks of lips John cancellous Jimmy Upton's that we've had all them champion the gap corny daily seven met, there's very few kids that want to stay and want to put in that discipline. Because for the kid to be any good. He has to put that extra work in Qatar Sparta so hurt. Air sport is so apparently called sports in the world. And I played a lot of sports ball in Gaelic, soccer, table tennis, basketball, put to be a boxer, you get smack while you're learning, you actually get a punch in the face players to learn. And you say that to somebody will you still get a punch now I trained rugby players, they could walk through you for win again, a smack in the face every few seconds. It's a difference. It's a harsh, it's a good spot. It's not for everybody, for boxing is a disciplinary sport. They have a gym that just wants to teach to the heart of physical culture, the art of boxing, the boxing gyms, they shouldn't be open in every school in the country, and make teaching easy for the teachers. But as I said, teaching come from the home. And that's where teaching.[PB6]
Paul Barnett 22:34
Philippa got this great quote from you. I got another one here that I've found when I was preparing to chat with you. And you're talking about your gym and you say we're always in the growing process. We always want to be better for the kids and continue to produce champions. And it made me want to ask you have you got a coaching mission? Because it sounds to me like it's more a vocation. It's more like a lifestyle choice that you're pursuing to make the world better and to teach discipline. But can you put into words what your coaching mission is to
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 23:02
make my other cromolyn coaches better than any other coaches to make them have the discipline to stay on? We're all doing it for free. None of us make any money out of this, like this. My life is in the army, ozone retired, we do it on a free basis, we tornal pair of our own households, mana noon and night, Sunday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoons, just to take some kids that can be very special to make the boxer more special. It's not only me, just so many good coaches, and no debt coaches all over this country. And I'm talking about Ireland, but I'm talking about Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales. And when I speak to good coaches, we're special because we do it. But it's the people that want to, I want to make my coaches better than all of them.[PB7] And we're doing a good job. And it's a bit of friendly competition. And the friendliness of is that we can normally tutor, we go for a beer with each other. And they'll strike my rig and dog my lotion on my thing. And like I wouldn't say back because Bundesliga, they know and they're a little bit envious. I won't say jealous or envious, because no good friends.
Paul Barnett 24:06
I'm not sure if this is a fair question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. You say you're getting all but you still got a lot of coaching ahead of you. At least that's the sense I get from talking to you. I have so much energy and I've watched videos of you in the ring. And yes, you don't seem to be slowing down. But what's the legacy that you believe you've left so far as a coach?
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 24:25
Respect, respect for your pupils. Respect fellow coaches respect randomization? I know you have some relatively organization and we tell you I'm on the board. And the master was present in the film and they still want to give something back but it's always forcing on the mentally for the children to make them enjoy as much as I've enjoyed.[PB8] And I've given up and lost them on my tour relationship now. We can say much. My wife was over there, given some of their time. And not every woman wants your house seven days a week. That's what you have to do on a produce anyone stay on top of your failures to make sure that they will not major legacy. But it is nice to have a legacy the legacy myself of Patrick Brady, and the coaches will be leaving will be to come and box and probe legacy. We have a gym there like inadequates and like you have to we have kids there now. We have coaches, that our kids are fighting for me. And I still have these coaches and the coaches box for me, it's carrying on the way we want to carry and on the way we have me in tears.
Paul Barnett 25:31
I'm sorry, Philip, You've almost got me in tears too. I want to thank you so much for your time today. I can see you're in the beautiful spot part of the world and you took the time out to chat with me and I do appreciate it. I wish you all the best getting the club back up and running again and getting out of COVID and I look forward to seeing you one day in the club and coming in and looking at it. I've seen pictures of it and it looks like a museum. It looks like a wonderful archive and I hope to get there one day.
Philip Sutcliffe Snr 25:54
It's good as you said, it's good to Conor McGregor come back and looked after and Stan to look after his nail and making sure like any Varuna flares we have a number of players that are very rich to Connors the one that stepped up to the mark and the end he's helping point the kids tracksuit and doing little bits and it's kind of the new attention that is scored like we've not been put to say about him and all the fighters and nailed our mommies and daddies like we have a lot of girls now in the club with Connie Daly. She's known for in various champions. Some very, very good cares in and I think we've no employers care, seven orders care champions. So we're starting to take place and years ago it wouldn't even let my daughter box but they didn't believe that's the way it is. Now it's a different. The world is changing. The world has changed and the Boston Globe will change for the better. And it's been good to talk to you.
Paul Barnett 26:44
Thank you Philip Sutcliffe. It's been lovely to meet you. Take care