Belfast hails ex-cabbie Rogan as he battles for peace

BOXING COMMONWEALTH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT: Jonathan Drennanmeets up with a real-life Rocky who took up boxing at 29 as he prepares for the first defence of his title in his Belfast bailiwick

FEW MEN can boast a pub within touching distance of their workplace. Every day before training, boxers from Breen's gym in Belfast trudge past the beer pumps and punters of the adjoining Monico Bar and continue to the heavy bags upstairs.

Any temptation is lost on the 37-year-old former taxi driver from West Belfast sparring studiously in the middle of the gym. Commonwealth boxing champion Martin Rogan is training for his first title defence on May 15th, against Sam Sexton.

He has almost completed 12 rounds of gruelling boxing when he hears the sweet sound of the buzzer on the stop clock calling time.

He politely asks me if I will make myself useful and unlace his boxing gloves. Eager to comply, but forgetting what I was taught in scouts, I scrabble at the laces ineffectually for a few minutes.

"It's just like a G-string son," he laughs. Replying that is exactly my problem, Rogan jokingly asks am I gay.

"No, Martin, not at all," I stammer. "Just a bit inexperienced."

His loud laugh bounces off the walls of the small gym.

"The Entertainer" is in session.

Rogan is life imitating art. If you can call the Rocky franchise art. Rogan worked as a taxi driver all of his adult life before deciding to start amateur boxing at the age of 29.

"I started late because my mother didn't want to see me hurt; hurling was my pedigree sport as a child. I only started boxing because I wanted an individual sport, something I could achieve on my own without anyone else to rely on. When I started all I wanted to win was an (amateur) Ulster title."

Rogan's rise has been meteoric. In only 12 professional fights, he has beaten Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison and captured Matt Skelton's Commonwealth title. By his own admission, he is not the prettiest boxer to watch, yet he possesses a huge self-belief and punching power which have dethroned loftier rivals.

"I've turned a lot of doubters into believers, but I know not everyone in the world tries to succeed; if you fail so what, at least you tried. It's not all about winning for me, obviously that's part and parcel of boxing, but taking part is the golden ticket for me."

As a latecomer to boxing, Rogan remains refreshingly positive about the politics that govern the sport.

"I'm a big believer that everything in sport, as in life, should be fair, but like any sport that doesn't always happen. Still, I'm not one for complaining."

For a man with such a warm and gregarious nature, he reserves a rare bout of bile for the sport's commentators.

"What I strongly dislike is people who are supposed to be doing a job commentating about the sport, a lot of the time they aren't commentating on the fight, but they're picking out faults in somebody's style. It's hard enough trying to get kids involved in sport. People like that should be grabbed by the scruff of the neck and dumped on the street, because they have no place in this sport."

Rogan admits the jibes annoy him. Labelled a raw taxi driver from Belfast who has no right sharing the ring with Olympic gold medallists. Belittled because he hasn't studied from the manuals of the sweet science. But Rogan comes to fight and the people of Belfast love him for it.

"See, today before I had my breakfast, a guy came up to me and said 'you're that boxer, I'm going to your fight on the 15th of May, can't wait, can I have a photo?' "

For Rogan, the respect he has gained from the man in the street evidently means a great deal more than tuxedoed judges far removed from the fury and fear of the boxing ring.

Rogan was brought up in the nationalist heartland of West Belfast. He attends night classes at his local college in Irish. Yet, he is adamant he will represent the whole of Belfast.

"I represent everyone, when I walk through Belfast and I get somebody congratulating me, would I ever ask them about politics or religion? Of course I wouldn't, it's none of my business. All I care is that Protestant or Catholic, they appreciate me."

Less than three weeks ago, Rogan became a hot topic of conversation on Stephen Nolan's show on BBC Radio Ulster. A caller was less than positive about the boxer's exploits.

"A fella came on the radio and said, 'Martin Rogan has just won the Commonwealth title with Eamonn Magee in his corner, green, white and orange, I'm representing the Shankill Road, Rogan represents none of us'."

Rogan phoned the Nolan show directly. "This guy is typical of the small-minded people who caused all of the conflict in Northern Ireland, and for his information I've travelled down to the Shankill Road to give lads free tickets the other day."

Rogan brings a large travelling contingent with him to every fight. Protestant, Catholic or Jewish, he doesn't care.

"After the Skelton fight I came back into the hotel and there was green, white and orange flags everywhere and all this cheering. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw lads from the Shankill.

"I was a bit concerned about the flags, so I asked them if they were uncomfortable with it all. Sure they didn't give a damn, they laughed, they were there for me fighting not the politics."

For a man who talks eloquently about a peaceful Northern Ireland and his wish to bring his daughter up in a Belfast far removed from the charred one of his childhood, could his stubborn use of an Irish flag unwittingly be making a political statement?

"Listen, for me the Irish flag isn't a political thing, it was brought over in 1845, it is the flag of the people of all of Ireland united; green for Catholic, white for peace and orange for Protestant, it represents what I'm all about. Bringing people together."

Ironically, for a country so concerned with fighting, boxing is a huge part of creating peace in Northern Ireland. Gerry Storey's avowedly cross-community boxing gym and Barry McGuigan's brave stance against the violence. I wonder does Rogan associate himself with these characters.

"Barry did a lot of good work, but he didn't live in the city when everything was kicking off. I've seen men shot dead in the street and bombs going off continually. We all lived through it. Barry tried, but I feel I'm able to talk about it more because I was really there. They were terrible times, I'm determined the kids of today are treated like kids, not terrorists. The last thing I want is hate, it's a word that shouldn't be used."

Throughout the interview, Rogan has been lifting huge weights as he talks. With a final grimace, he finishes his final repetition and gratefully drops the weights to the floor.

A trained actor who has featured in small feature films, Rogan tells me as soon as he has finished with the fight game, he'll give this more time. But at the moment, he is focused on defending his Commonwealth title in Belfast against the younger, more fancied Sexton.

Rogan has made his career out of being the underdog and upsetting the odds.

Did you ever hear the one about the West Belfast taxi-driver who acted in films, won the Commonwealth title and then got the whole city shouting for him?

In this hill-rimmed town enjoying peace at last, Rogan has become a symbol of his reborn city.

Martin Rogan factfile

Division: Heavyweight

Stance: Orthodox

Nickname: The Entertainer

Age: 38

Height: 6ft 3in (191cm)

Fights: 12

Won: 12 (six by knock-out)

Next fight: v Sam Sexton Next Friday (May 15th) Odyssey, Belfast Live on Sky Sports 2