February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Dave Conlon, who represented but was not a member of the Garda before moving to New York, will be in the NYPD singlet, while Darren, the older of the 25-year-old twins by 10 minutes and in the Irish police, will be in the opposite corner. The fight will be at 156 pounds.
Although the brothers have boxed each other in exhibition, non-scoring matches back home, this will be their first real fight.
“We won’t be pulling any punches,” Dave insisted with a chuckle at the weekend. “It’s only a game at the end of the day.”
Asked for Darren’s reaction at the match-up, Dave, who hasn’t spoken to his brother for a few weeks but was hoping to call him in Dublin before he arrives in New York, offered this speculation: “I’m sure he’s fairly confident and he doesn’t mind. I’m also confident.”
Coming off a quarterfinal run in this year’s New York Golden Gloves tournament, Dave is likely to be the fitter of the two, which could earn him bragging rights over his twin.
Dave has passed the NYPD entry exam and is hoping to be accepted into the next police academy class. The well-intentioned sibling rivalry, on a nine-bout card to raise funds for an organization called America’s Camp that supports orphans of 9/11 victims, is the idea of NYPD boxing coach Lee Packtor, a cousin of the Conlon twins. He’d struggled to find a suitable opponent for Darren. “I thought that Dave versus Darren would be a good match. They’ve fought each other before,” Packtor said.
The other matchups for the 8:15 p.m. show (Garda boxers first) are heavyweight, Cathal Buggey vs. Tommy Delvecchio (49th Precinct); light heavyweights, Marvin Lee vs. Brian O’Neill; Brian Teehan vs. Robert Scopino (43rd Pct.); and Kieran O’Reilly vs. TBA).
Also at 156 pounds, Pierce O’Sullivan vs. Flavio Rodriguez (48th Pct.); Brendan Shovlen vs. Julio Orozco (103rd Pct.); and David O’Brien vs. Greg Trager (Suffolk Co. Police); and 165, Donal Barrett vs. Timmy Hinchey (FDNY).
Over $50,000 was raised from last year’s show, which benefited the NYPD and FDNY Widows and Children’s Funds, and Packtor is hoping that this year’s event will be as successful.