Barnes admits he must 'grow up' after bronze rant
A more relaxed Paddy Barnes kisses the bronze medal he said he didn?t want
A MUCH-happier Paddy Barnes left the ring at the Workers Gymnasium yesterday, this time treasuring the bronze
lightflyweight medal that had just been placed around his neck.
And the young Belfast boxer, who blasted the judges after scoring zero in his semi-final and said "bronze is for losers!" in the emotional aftermath of his 0-15 loss to local superstar Zou Shiming, retracted those emotive statements and said he had been too rash.
"After the fight I said a few things, heat-of-the-moment stuff, and the papers back home just jumped at the chance to ridicule me," Barnes said.
"But I just need to grow up so I do," he admitted bashfully. "At the end of the day it is still a bronze and I feel great now I've got the medal around my neck.
"I had a bad two days there," he revealed. "I sat down and thought about it after I lost, and just realised that I would never be No 1 over here anyway because there was no way I was going to beat Zou Shiming, so a silver medal became a bronze.
"As soon as I got out of the ring there was a camera and a microphone stuck in my face.
"Some people back home probably do understand but others jump at the chance to ridicule you."
Barnes said he hoped people in Ireland would remember him more for his Olympic bronze medallist rather than his controversial comments after losing, when he described China as the most corrupt country in the world.
The large Irish contingent who had taken over two sections of the stands to support Kenny Egan were on hand to give the 21-year-old Holy Family star a rousing reception yesterday when his medal presentation took place.
Roars of "Pa-ddy-Pa-ddy" drowned out the stadium announcer when Barnes was receiving his priceless Olympic reward and the delighted Belfast man acknowledged the Irish fans with a raised fist and a wave of his medal.
"Yes, it was my proudest moment yet but hopefully this is not the last proud moment, hopefully there will be a prouder moment when I get the gold," he said, defiantly declaring his intention to "work my way back up again".
There has been speculation that Barnes will move up a weight division now, ahead of the European Championships in Liverpool.
But he said he would stick in his current weight category.
"I am going to stay at 48 kilos and hopefully Zou Shiming retires and gives me a chance!" he said with a grin of the fleet-handed former kung fu fighter and Athens bronze medallist who yesterday stopped Mongolia's Serdamba Purevdorj in the second round to claim China's first gold boxing medal.
- Cliona Foley
