Podge and Rod

"Look, his mother was all over the shop, I had to ring Paschal, Spike, Craig O’Brien, right, and Big Niall Kennedy, ‘Do us a favour lads, will you explain to his mother, he’s not going to be in an intensive care unit after the fight this weekend’." Joining us today on The Rocky Road are father-and-son duo Roddy and Podge Collins. Podge is now a professional boxer, making his debut in October when he knocked out Gianluca Di Florio in the first round at the National Stadium. He talks about his strange lack of nerves ahead of and during the battle while Roddy, a well-known football manager, was aghast at that as he saw so many big-name players turning to jelly on the big occasion. Together they talk us through the famous fighting family’s history, brother Steve’s (or Stephen’s) major title victories, memories from Las Vegas to Millstreet and the long-term goal for Podge’s career as he embarks on a boxing journey with uncle Paschal by his side as trainer/manager. He also talks about how boxing has changed his life after a year in which he's lost 6st and shed his unhappy side to find joy in the roughest, toughest sport there is. Brought to you from the Celtic Warriors Gym, its walls adorned with photographs of boxing legends from Muhammad Ali to Marvin Hagler, Roddy may have made his name in the beautiful game but this is a story of the fight business like no other. Podge returns on Friday night at the Red Cow Hotel’s Warehouse for fight No 2 on a card promoted by Jay Byrne, a fight fixer Roddy insists must be supported in his determination to boost Irish boxing and its combatants.