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Jason Quigley on why he's leaving LA for Sheffield

When we last caught up with talented Donegal boxer Jason Quigley, he had settled in nicely to the...



Jason Quigley on why he's...
Other Sports

Jason Quigley on why he's leaving LA for Sheffield

When we last caught up with talented Donegal boxer Jason Quigley, he had settled in nicely to the pace of life in Los Angeles.

The former European Amateur gold medal and World Amateur silver medal winner had gone pro in 2014 and the process of establishing himself had taken him to the Pacific Coast and has left him with an unbeaten 13-0 record and possession of the NBAF Middleweight title. 

Jason Quigley on why he's leaving LA for Sheffield

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But he's leaving LA behind and heading for the less sunny climes of Sheffield, England as he discussed with Joe on the show last night.

"It's been something that's brewing for a while now in my career," said Quigley.

"You know, people are looking at things and obviously I try to look at things in the most positive way and my last fight I broke my hand, tore my tendon, had to go through surgery and everything like that, so all that I believe has happened for a reason.

"It was now, I've had the time out, to filter out any wee chinks or any wee cracks that have been going on and I've everything smoothed out now, I've had loads of time to think and prepare and make the right decision and go through it with a lot of important people and most importantly my team."

That thought process led him to make the decision to make a change.

"To be honest, I felt there was something missing but I couldn't put my finger on it," he said.

"Jeez, don't get me wrong, living in LA, it's something that people dream of I think sometimes as well. I think I was caught up in the whole LA, great weather, beaches, living. I was actually living like a man who had achieved everything that he wanted. I was living in a beautiful apartment and looking over the marina, right beside Venice Beach. The beach was a two minute walk away from me. Living in LA, just living a great life to be honest.

"But this isn't a sport where you can live a life too comfortable. Until you're retired, you've got to live the life of a contender and to be honest, I think I was living the life more of a champion than a contender and boxing's a tough sport. It's a tough game and you need to stay mentally very, very strong because you could be the most talented man in the world but if you're not mentally strong and you're not tough enough, you'll not make it in the professional game."

He added that the current comforts in LA "doesn't fit for me" in light of his own experiences prior to living Stateside: "It's not what I'm used to. It just doesn't feel right."

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