Olympic medal-winning boxer found hanged in south London flat » Communities » 24dash.com

An Olympic medal-winning boxer found dead at his home was a "brilliant fighter" with "his whole life to look forward to", gold medallist James DeGale said.

Darren Sutherland, 27, who won middleweight bronze for Ireland at the Beijing Games before turning professional, was found hanged in his south London flat yesterday.

DeGale, who beat Sutherland at the Beijing Olympics, said: "He was a brilliant fighter, in fact an excellent fighter, and he was a gentleman outside the ring as well.

"He had an Olympic bronze medal and his whole life to look forward to. He had a great future and my heart goes out to everyone who knew him.

"It is a tragedy. First and foremost my heart goes out to his family."

DeGale added: "It is very, very sad news - I just can't believe it."

"My heart went to the floor when I heard.

"He was a big part of my Olympic medal journey and it is just terrible."

Sutherland was discovered dead in his flat in Bromley, south London, by his manager Frank Maloney.

Maloney described the highly regarded fighter's death as a tragedy for Ireland and the world of boxing.

"It is very sad and unexpected," Maloney said.

"At this sad time my thoughts are with Darren's family and I hope their privacy at this very difficult time will be respected by the media.

"It is a tragedy for Ireland and the world of boxing."

Sutherland was one of the leading lights on the Irish boxing scene in the four years before Beijing and regarded as one of the best talents to emerge from the Irish Sports Council's high performance unit.

Ireland's Minster for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen offered condolences to Sutherland's family.

"The death of Darren is a great personal loss to them and to his many friends," the minister said.

"The tremendous effort and determination of this young man brought immense pride to Ireland in Beijing in 2008 when he joined a very select group of men who have won an Olympic medal for Ireland.

"It takes work, effort, desire and dedication to be a champion - qualities Darren had in abundance."

Mr Cullen said Sutherland had grabbed the challenge of turning pro with great enthusiasm.

"Ireland has lost a sportsman of wonderful ability, a clever and popular man with a future of real potential," the minister said.

"His early death deprives us of a magnificent talent."

Boxing insiders described Sutherland as an intelligent, articulate and ambitious man with a love of music and films.

Sporting chiefs in Ireland, including those who worked closely with him in the high performance unit, were said to be deeply shocked by his death.

The 27-year-old Dubliner turned pro and joined the Maloney camp following his Beijing success. Under the promoter's guidance and based in London, Sutherland was undefeated and being fast-tracked to the top ranks of the pro-circuit.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said Sutherland was pronounced dead just after 3pm yesterday after being found in his flat in Bromley.

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

Sutherland had trained as a boxer in his teens joining the famous Brendan Ingle gym in Sheffield before giving up the sport in the late 1990s.

He returned to the ring as an amateur while studying sports science at Dublin City University in 2004.

He announced his plans to turn pro last October at the college, where he also won his professional debut.

Sutherland's stated ambition was to win a world super-middleweight title.

"I want to go all the way," he said on the day he turned pro.

"There's no point starting out if you don't believe you can win a world title. That's where I want to go."

Sutherland was also the focus of an Irish documentary film, Saviours, based around the amateur boxing club in north inner city Dublin, St Saviour's.