FRANK O’SULLIVAN MBE remembers the moment he helped set Galal Yafai on the road to Tokyo gold.
The 84-year-old legend of Birmingham amateur boxing had already helped mould older brothers Khalid and Gamal into future world and European champions, respectively.
But flyweight Galal had seen the dark side of the boxing business and, with a promising career at Land Rover developing, sought out life-changing advice from the absolute best source possible.
O’Sullivan told SunSport: “Even when Gal was just starting out on the Team GB squad, he had a good job at Land Rover.
“One day he came to me and said he didn’t know whether he could succeed as a boxer.
“He asked me whether he should quit and focus on his career or sacrifice a promising job to focus on his boxing.
“I remember holding his hand and telling him that, because he didn’t have children or a mortgage, he could afford to pursue boxing.
“I told him his window of opportunity would not last long and he should not regret ‘what could have been’ ten years down the line.
“I then went to Land Rover, spoke to one of their top people and explained the situation.
“They then decided to give him 12 months off to focus on boxing, keeping his job on hold, and sponsoring him.
“I think that period really helped him and the company are very proud of having helped someone like that.”
O’Sullivan, with 65 years of coaching experience, is too modest to accept he is the godfather of Team GB’s recent boxing success, having been mastermind Rob McCracken’s mentor for his amateur career.
But he is so respected and admired around the Midlands that when a young Kal Yafai was going off the rails at school, his mum gave the head of the Birmingham City Boxing Club permission to beat some sense into the eldest of the three.
With great fondness for the family, O’Sullivan revealed: “When Khalid first joined the club, his mum brought him down because he was being a bit naughty at school.
“She actually gave me permission, if he gave me any problems, to give him a slap — but thankfully I never had to.
“I have always taught that to get respect you have to give respect and that is something we have always put into every lad that comes through the door — chump or champ — as part of club policy.”
O’Sullivan’s mobile rings five times during our interview, with interest peaking in his lifelong dedication to the sweet science.
His wife is playing secretary as his decades of effort and faith — often unrewarded — finally get the recognition they deserve.
Tonight, just like last night and tomorrow, O’Sullivan will be down the gym, treating novices and champions just the same.
He said: “When I first took the gym over, for the first 25 years I never charged anyone a penny.
“We kept afloat with running our own shows and having regular fun days — all free for the kids but I would charge the parents to come in the gym and watch or wait for them.
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“I am still in the gym five nights a week now.
“Mrs O’Sullivan thinks it’s about time I started giving some work to some of the other coaches but I am not ready to hand the reins over yet.
“The follies of youth and age are catching up with me — but I will always keep trying to beat them.”
