My story - Bernard Dunne

Bernard Dunne boxed for the first time at the age of 6. Twenty-three
years later, in an electrifying performance at the O2 arena in Dublin,
he stopped the brilliant Ricardo Cordoba to take the WBA World Super
Bantamweight belt.

The path from the gym in west Dublin to the
world
title was often a rocky one. Here, for the first time, Bernard
Dunne
tells his own amazing story. It begins in Neilstown, where boxing
ran in the family. In his amateur career, Bernard never lost
to an Irish fighter; but he narrowly missed out on the 2000 Olympics,
and rather than spend another four years as an amateur in search of
Olympic glory he decided to go pro.

Going pro meant going to
California, and, under the tutelage of Sugar Ray Leonard and Freddie
Roach, California became a land of dreams for Bernard. Twelve of his
fourteen professional fights in America were televised nationally, and
he was working towards a title fight. But he missed home, missed his
family. He wanted it all: he wanted to win a world title, and he wanted
to do it in Ireland.

The way he went about doing that has made
Bernard Dunne an Irish national treasure. After winning a European belt,
he was defeated by Kiko Martinez; but he bounced back with courage and
brilliance to win the WBA super bantamweight belt from Cordoba in front
of a delirious crowd at the O2 arena.

Rather than rest on his
laurels, as many champions in his position would do, Bernard accepted
the toughest challenge of all: from a slab of granite named Poonsawat.
He lost the belt, but his courage and dignity in defeat were heroic.
Now, Bernard tells the full story of his life and boxing career - a
story full of surprises. It will thrill all his old fans and win him new
ones.