RIP Darren Sutherland

kravmaga

Absolutely shocked at the news.

Its a shame and a waste of a life, what ever was troubling him its a pity he could not talk to anyone about it.

From all appearances he came across as a very happy guy according to the media.

RIP and condolences to his family at this difficult time.

barakus

RIP Darren.

walshb

I don't know about anyone else, but I still haven't taken this in yet.
It is so strangely surreal. I guess because Darren was so engaging and warm and magnetic, a real talker and passionate kinda' guy. I think in a few days, it will sink in and the real affect wil be felt for so many

LEIN

RIP dude

You put our boxing back on the map last summer.

dceire

Couldn't believe it when i heard.

Thanks for the memories Darren

gerrybbadd

What a shock. R.I.P. Darren. If ever an Irish Fighter had "The Look, the It Factor" it was Daz. I felt sure nothing or nobody could stand in his way, and prevent him from reaching the top.

Condolences also to his family.

Euro_Kraut

Its 24 hours since I first heard and I am still coming to terms with this. I haven't been effected by a death like this before. I never met the guy. There was something so familiar about him though. Something I could relate too. His good humour, his class, his determination. I don't know. Can't find the right words right now. This is not how it was supposed to end for him.

RIP.

abregy

RIP Darren

strongback

I don't know what it is about Darren's death but it is really cutting me up. Maybe it was getting to know him through TV or standing beside him in the corridor at UCD before his pro fight but really I think it is the manner of his death. The silent killer crept up on him and it is just so sad. I feel for all the familys who have suffered a loss in this manner. The turmoil and pain must have been unbearable because Darren was one tough minded determined guy.

Darren's death just seems very real, visceral, and it has hit home with me.

A great son of Ireland I hope you have found peace. RIP

Mr.Messy

The death of Darren is a tragic loss. A young man who fought for every inch of success throughout his short life. Its just goes to show the fragile nature of life. The line we walk is fine and no one is exempt no matter what level of society. Darren was an inspiration and represented this country with great valour and dignity. We think hero's are invincible and impervious but they are not. In darrens darkest hour he decided enough was enough. He leaves us with an untold legacy and a message that things. In life its the simple things that keep us in check. Darrens life became too complicated. I leave you with this short poem in honour of Darren:
-Though your life has ended short and young
you have given hope to us with none,
-To dream and dare as you have done
fills us with inspiration second to none,
-your legacy remains undone
which is a sadness that will be hard to overcome,
-You fought in life for every inch
and for that we are honoured from within,
-You fought a battle from within
for which we are sad you couldn't win,
-to think we couldn't help you
it feels like almost a sin,
-may you enjoy eternal happiness in life beyond this place
where peace will find you and hold you tight in all its grace,
-thank you for the memories and for what you have achieved
may your personal inquest be satisfied and your youthful mind be at peace,
-A fighter, a legend, a character, and son of Ireland
we wish you all the best and may you rest in peace.

God Bless,
Regards, Mr. Messy

Crotchety

Thank You Mr.Sutherland...

Thank you for the boxing Darren
You really made me smile
Thank you for being there
You made my life worthwile
Thank you for being Irish
and all those upper-cuts
Thank you for going to Beijing
and never giving up!

Amen.
RIP

bigeasyeah

RIP

hipster2009

RIP HOPE YOU FIND PEACE.

Tones69

Still cant believe it
RIP

BDF

RIP Darren, this life became too much for you to handle for whatever reason but you will always have a place in the hearts of every Irish person who followed your boxing career and were inspired by your talent, heart and amazing personality. Though your end was tragic I will always remember you as our Olympic hero holding your medal proudly with a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye, Peace Champ xxx

Onearmedbandit

Rest in Peace. A great sportsman, a champ and a great person.

T-K-O

I remember watching Darren at the stadium a few years back. It was the first time I saw him fight, he was one of the most impressive armatures Ive seen in the flesh. The guy looked so superior to the competition and blew them away.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Dusty87

Happy Monday wrote: »

Does anyone who knows something about boxing answer me this.
Why did he have to go to London and into Frank Maloney's stable?
Why not stay in Ireland like Bernard Dunne for example?
Still could have gone across the water for fights etc.
RIP Darren.

Bernard went to America for years. Its only th last few years he's back here. I think they leave to get their names out to a foreign audience

SpikeMilligan

RIP Darren

BDF

There's an article in the Independent which says that Darren "poured his heart out" to his trainer Brian Lawrence 10 days ago, telling him that he felt his "life was over" and that he wanted to pack in boxing saying he felt "abandoned".He was not training properly and was losing his enthusiasm in the gym.
The day Darren died he was due to see a sports psychologist! Not a real therapist but a sports pyschologist! Does that strike anyone else as odd? I understand that sportsmen and women have low points in their careers and sometimes see sports pyschologists but it should have been clear to those around Darren at the time that this was more serious. I am really angry after reading that article, it seemed like Darren was crying out for help but no one was listening.
I don't want to point any fingers because I know that is futile in these circumstances but I think a lesson needs to be learned here. When a man with a history of depression, who is isolated from his friends and family, in a pressure enviroment day in day out, comes to you and tells you that he "feels his life is over", you do not gloss over it and hope things get better. Who knows how things would have worked out if Darren was put straight on a plane home after that conversation.
This news makes the story all the more tragic knowing that Darren did indeed reach out for help.
If this is innapropriate or whatever feel free to delete mods but I had to get it off my chest.

walshb

It's all just angles and conversation. I have no problem with it.
There usually is always some tell tale signs and Darren seemed
to be exhibiting them. I feels so sorry for the chap that he got
so low that he felt that this was his release. Nothing is so bad
as to warrant ending your life, but until someone really is in that
position, only then can they feel how Darren must have felt.

All the chat and advice in the world can still see some people
choose suicide.

BDF

walshb wrote: »

It's all just angles and conversation. I have no problem with it.
There usually is always some tell tale signs and Darren seemed
to be exhibiting them. I feels so sorry for the chap that he got
so low that he felt that this was his release. Nothing is so bad
as to warrant ending your life, but until someone really is in that
position, only then can they feel how Darren must have felt.

All the chat and advice in the world can still see some people
choose suicide.

What get's to me is that all I've been reading and hearing is how Darren was always so happy and that there was no outward signs of anything being amiss with him but clearly there was.
You're right though, even if Darren had got help he still may have chosen to end his life but I think that the depression coupled with how isolated he was being away from family and friends might have pushed him over the edge.
This is such a sad story, the more details I hear, the more tragic it becomes.

rovert

Every paper I saw this morning has Darren on the front page.

Burgerman55

whats ur point?

walshb

Burgerman55 wrote: »

whats ur point?

I thought that would have been pretty obvious

walshb

BDF wrote: »

What get's to me is that all I've been reading and hearing is how Darren was always so happy and that there was no outward signs of anything being amiss with him but clearly there was.
You're right though, even if Darren had got help he still may have chosen to end his life but I think that the depression coupled with how isolated he was being away from family and friends might have pushed him over the edge.
This is such a sad story, the more details I hear, the more tragic it becomes.

Also reported is that there was no note left by Darren. That is not unusual, but I would say MOST suicide victims would leave some sort of note.

rovert

Burgerman55 wrote: »

whats ur point?

Fairly hostile question.

Anyway this is quite obviously at this stage a mainstream story rather than just a sports story or even a mainstream sports story. I saw a story this morning as far afield as the US EPSN website about Darren so it isn’t a localised story either. I wasn’t surprised about either as he was an Olympic medallist it is just I didn’t consider the potential reach of the story when processing his death. Just a testament to Darren’s sporting accomplishments and the tragedy of his death I suppose.

mark renton

BDF wrote: »

What get's to me is that all I've been reading and hearing is how Darren was always so happy and that there was no outward signs of anything being amiss with him but clearly there was.

The majority of people who suffer with depression will never show outward signs - also we the public can be guilty of assuming that a sportsman/woman are completely happy and content because they are doing what we can only dream of

BDF

john47832 wrote: »

The majority of people who suffer with depression will never show outward signs - also we the public can be guilty of assuming that a sportsman/woman are completely happy and content because they are doing what we can only dream of

I get what you're saying John but what I meant to say is that this seemed to come totally out of the blue, or so most of us thought, everyone was asking, "Why couldn't Darren just talk to someone". It turns out that he did confide in his trainer but for whatever reason nothing was done, or not enough was done. Darren was saying and doing things in the last week or so of his life that would point to depression, I think at this point training schedules and upcoming fights should have been put on hold until he got the help he needed.

BDF

walshb wrote: »

Also reported is that there was no note left by Darren. That is not unusual, but I would say MOST suicide victims would leave some sort of note.

It was probably a spur of the moment decision which would explain there being no note.
Just read that Maloney is said to be doing ok and is very eager to return to work, it seems the heart attack he suffered happened at the Fury V McDermott fight.

walshb

I don't think it was a case of a spur of the moment. I would imagine that thoughts were running thru his head for some time and finally it all came to a head and he made his mind up. I don't think it was a case of, "Life is great, all is well; damn, feeling down, gotta' kill myself." Like I said, some people do not leave a note, but I would say most do.

walshb

BDF wrote: »

I get what you're saying John but what I meant to say is that this seemed to come totally out of the blue, or so most of us thought, everyone was asking, "Why couldn't Darren just talk to someone". It turns out that he did confide in his trainer but for whatever reason nothing was done, or not enough was done. Darren was saying and doing things in the last week or so of his life that would point to depression, I think at this point training schedules and upcoming fights should have been put on hold until he got the help he needed.

The subtle signs were probably there, but MAJOR signs? That is still debatable.
Most guys don't talk about problems, that is well known. Out of fear or embarrassment or whatever. Women are generally far more comfortable opening up and being honest about all sorts of issues.

BDF

walshb wrote: »

The subtle signs were probably there, but MAJOR signs? That is still debatable.
Most guys don't talk about problems, that is well known. Out of fear or embarrassment or whatever. Women are generally far more comfortable opening up and being honest about all sorts of issues.

When I said spur of the moment I meant that things probably came to a head in a short space of time, I have no doubt he was having these feelings for a long time beforehand.

A major sign to me is someone telling you that they feel their life is over, that's a very dramatic statement to come out with. The alarm bells should have been ringing for someone at that point.

walshb

BDF wrote: »

When I said spur of the moment I meant that things probably came to a head in a short space of time, I have no doubt he was having these feelings for a long time beforehand.

A major sign to me is someone telling you that they feel their life is over, that's a very dramatic statement to come out with. The alarm bells should have been ringing for someone at that point.

I see what you mean here. Also, the point where he was saying that no matter where he went he didn't seem to fit in. On Saturday I think it was, he had dinner with Frank and then went home. Frank said he was out of sorts. It's all done now and sometimes even the most obvious signs can be overlooked and dismissed for a multitude of reasons.

fryup

Alot of people who knew Darren say what a really nice guy he was, well maybe that was his own undoing...cause Pro Boxing is a brutal & unforgiving business and you need a backbone of steel to survive in it.

Notice what he says about his oppenent @ 2.24

and he does look a tad lonely 20 sec in...

fryup wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHcdcq2LM6o

walshb

There has been so so many nice fighters in the business, more nice guys than nasty guys I would say. I just think Darren really lost his way, his confidence in his ability as a fighter and as a person and maybe the pressure to succeed and to achieve were too much and he didn't feel he could live up to the expectations that folks may have had.
I will look at the clip later, no sound here on PC.

cowzerp

what he says in the clip means nothing and analyzing it tells you nothing..

This has hit me hard even though i did not know him personally, really cant get my head around it at all, very very sad.. really hope he's found peace..

walshb

cowzerp wrote: »

what he says in the clip means nothing and analyzing it tells you nothing..

This has hit me hard even though i did not know him personally, really cant get my head around it at all, very very sad.. really hope he's found peace..

Even though we may not have known him or ever have met him, he was on our screens many times in a sport we are passionate about and he came across as such an engaging and chirpy chap. I think that is why it's hard to digest!

arybvtcw0eolkf

At the end of Judo training last night one of the chief instructors called for a moments silence to give thought to Darren, his family & friends..

Thread in the Martial Arts Forum.

I think it would be a nice idea in all clubs to spare a few moments this week to give over a moments silence and think of Darren and all victims of suicide.



.

arybvtcw0eolkf

cowzerp wrote: »

w
This has hit me hard even though i did not know him personally, really cant get my head around it at all, very very sad.. really hope he's found peace..

Paul the reason this has hit you hard is because Darren is any other mothers son, brother' brother or any of our mates.

He is an ordinary bloke who we can all identify with, that kind of death gets to us all Paul.

I believe suicide choose's its victim, the victim doesn't choose suicide - its a mential illness which can befall even the strongest among us.

.

DaMooseDog

Absolutely gutted about this + still find it hard to understand, my thoughts are with his family right now.....RIP

Harpie

RIP Darren, a great loss to everyone who knew him and the Irish people as a whole.

maharg92

i have a picture with him from the airport the day he came home from beijing and i had a little talk with him and he was such a nice guy and was so happy so when i first seen this i was shocked and thought it has to be a mistake a few seconds later i was sadly reassured it was true

R.I.P Darren

Handsome Bob

He did seem like a lovely bloke, so upbeat too. I thought he got a bit of a bad rap off others because he apparently "settled" for the bronze medal at the Olympics. FFS it was an olympic medal and the bloke rightfully was delighted that he won it. That didn't necessarily equate to him giving up, just the media stirring **** up as usual. It really is a shocking event, I think Darren personifies the idea that you can never know what's going on in someone's head.

walshb

LZ5by5 wrote: »

He did seem like a lovely bloke, so upbeat too. I thought he got a bit of a bad rap off others because he apparently "settled" for the bronze medal at the Olympics. FFS it was an olympic medal and the bloke rightfully was delighted that he won it. That didn't necessarily equate to him giving up, just the media stirring **** up as usual. It really is a shocking event, I think Darren personifies the idea that you can never know what's going on in someone's head.

I don't think anyone dissed him, just they felt that his performance vs DeGale was rather stale in comparison to his two other bouts. I saw this. I think the quarters was Darren's final and his heart wasn't in it to go two more. That's just what I felt, no dissing, just an impression.

mufc4lfe

walshb wrote: »

I don't think anyone dissed him, just they felt that his performance vs DeGale was rather stale in comparison to his two other bouts. I saw this. I think the quarters was Darren's final and his heart wasn't in it to go two more. That's just what I felt, no dissing, just an impression.

Never ever doubt a boxers heart!That is the biggest insult you can give any boxer and after what happened this is especially bad form.And you don't seem to know much about olympic boxing as he would have been in the final had he beaten DeGale,the two losing semi-finalists get bronze with the winners fighting it out for the gold and silver.

REST IN PEACE DARREN

hunter164

He means he fought his final against Blanco, in which he boxed amazingly, not the fight against DeGale.

cowzerp

mufc4lfe wrote: »

Never ever doubt a boxers heart!That is the biggest insult you can give any boxer and after what happened this is especially bad form.And you don't seem to know much about olympic boxing as he would have been in the final had he beaten DeGale,the two losing semi-finalists get bronze with the winners fighting it out for the gold and silver.

REST IN PEACE DARREN

Bren boxed all his life and continues to train and spar to this day, as have i, i also believed he settled for the bronze and did not put everything into the match with degale who he had beaten 4 times before if im correct,

Darren is sorely missed by us and maybe that fight showed where Darren had a fragile mind, im not having a go as he's a hero in my eyes for medalling in the olympics for ireland..but in my opinion the gold was his for the taking, bronze got him his dream to go pro as a prospect and that was his main aim tbh.

walshb

mufc4lfe wrote: »

Never ever doubt a boxers heart!That is the biggest insult you can give any boxer and after what happened this is especially bad form.And you don't seem to know much about olympic boxing as he would have been in the final had he beaten DeGale,the two losing semi-finalists get bronze with the winners fighting it out for the gold and silver.

REST IN PEACE DARREN

Seriously, chill. I didn't question his heart at all. I said his heart didn't seem in it, not that he didn't HAVE heart. I just think he was dones after Blanco and left a lot behind. It showed to me anyway, and I have seen a fair bit of Darren boxing. I expecetd more, that is all.

Completely separate to Darren: to step in a ring takes guts and heart, but that doesn't mean all fighters possess heart to the same degree. Darren was a great boxer who I enjoyed watching

itouchmyself

cowzerp wrote: »

im not having a go as he's a hero in my eyes for medalling in the olympics for ireland..but in my opinion the gold was his for the taking, bronze got him his dream to go pro as a prospect and that was his main aim tbh.

Exactly I thought the same that gold was his for the taking he was better than DeGale, was just that day!! A pity we'll never know how far he could of gone as a pro such a shame!!