At a Boston venue better known for its musical offerings than fisticuffs, New England junior welterweight Danny O’Connor attempts to hit a high note this Thursday night in a renewed quest for world title contender status.
The Framingham, Mass., prizefighter [16-1] is scheduled to go 10 rounds with Daniel Sostre at the House of Blues, in the main event of a Boston vs. New York card co-promoted by his new manager, rocker Ken Casey of the group Dropkick Murphys.
“I probably know about [Sostre] as much as he knows about himself,” O’Connor told the Echo from Houston, Texas, last Sunday before winding up training camp under Ronnie Shields. “I’ve been watching tapes of him every single day.”
The former national Golden Gloves champion spoke highly of his foe, who touts an 11-5-1 record [4 KOs], and expects a good fight.
“He’s a really skilled fighter, sharp and throws crisp punches,” noted O’Connor, adding that he would still handle Sostre if he listened to trainer Shields and stuck to their fight plan.
He described Shields, who’s worked with greats such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Pernell “Sweetpea” Whitaker, as an amazing trainer with a vast knowledge.
“KID” ROONEY BEATEN
Light middleweight Kevin “Kid” Rooney, Jr. was knocked down twice en route to a four-round unanimous points loss to Anthony “Sweet Tooth” Jones at the Times Union Center in upstate Albany last Friday.
Rooney, the son of famed trainer Kevin Rooney, appeared to have brushed off Jones’ quick start when he was adjudged to have been knocked down by a sweeping right hand late in the first round.
His second trip to the canvas in round two from a hard left to the jaw from the southpaw Jones was more obvious. The Fordham graduate, nonetheless, dusted himself off and proceeded to have a good third heat during which he connected with one-twos throughout the round.
Rooney had his moments in the fourth and final stanza as the two fighters exchanged punches liberally. But at that point he needed a knockout to salvage the fight after fallen behind because of the knockdowns.
The three cards read 39-35, 38-36, and 38-36 all in favor of the now 2-0-1 Jones. Rooney’s ledger dropped to 4-2 with two KOs. The fight was televised nationally on ESPN.
