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Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish boxer 'shooting for the stars' as he makes history at iconic sports venue
Thomas O'Toole is 'shooting for the stars' as he prepares to make history at one of the world's most iconic sporting venues this weekend. The Galway man (13-0, 9 KOs) headlines the first boxing event to take place at Fenway Park in almost 70 years when he faces Missouri veteran Vaughn Alexander (19-12-2) on Saturday. "This is a historic night, fighting at Fenway Park, first time in 70 years, and I have a world title challenger on my undercard so that kind of goes to show there the name and reputation I'm building, but I can't let it get to my head, because I have a big opponent, big test, and we're looking to get through that with flying colours," said the 27-year-old super middleweight. "Not many people get to do what I'm doing. I got to headline my home city Galway last year, it was great. I'm headlining fights in Boston, and seeing the crowds are there for me, and they're roaring for me, it's a privilege to be here. I'm shooting for the stars." The home of the Boston Red Sox has hosted numerous events outwith baseball over the years, with The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel among those to have performed at the famous venue. Meanwhile, Liverpool, Celtic, Roma and Sevilla have all played pre-season matches at 'America's Most Beloved Ballpark' over the past 15 years. But Fenway hasn't hosted boxing since former undisputed world welterweight champion and Boston native Tony DeMarco defeated Vince Martinez in 1956. That will change when O'Toole steps into the ring as he aims to make a statement against Alexander, who has only been stopped twice in 33 fights. 'The Kid' has quickly become one of the biggest names within the Boston boxing scene and has amassed a large support base from the city's huge Irish community. "I would be the biggest seller in Boston," he explained. "You talk about boxing in Boston, you have to mention my name. I'm a real household name here now, and it's all because of the support I get. "I'm very blessed and it's a real privilege to have the support I get from back home and out here. I think this is my fourth or fifth fight in a row now, headlining and that's where I belong." The event takes place inside the stadium's Big Concourse and despite having lived in Boston for the past number of years, this will be O'Toole's first time at a sporting event in Fenway. "I get a lot of abuse for this, but I haven't been to a baseball game yet," revealed the southpaw. "I've only been to TD Garden once, I went in February with my missus, we went for a basketball game, and that's only because she's a big basketball fan but I don't get out doing that... I'm kind of on my schedule, I'm training and I'm working and resting, but I've made the plan now, this summer I'm gonna get to a game after my fight." O'Toole was born in Chicago and raised in Lettermullan in the Connemara Gaeltacht, having been brought to Ireland as a baby. He has been based in Boston for the past number of years, having turned professional in 2021, and is coached by former 30-4 boxer Mark De Luca. Hard work has always been important to O'Toole, who describes himself as having "a good hustle". While working towards a business degree at GMIT, he also worked as a doorman in Galway city centre. "I was living in Galway City, you have to pay rent and stuff, so I had no choice but to work, but I made sure I kept my boxing up, and I had a great coach with Pawel (Popko)," O'Toole explained. "We had a good relationship, and we still do have a good relationship, and he kept me going, and look where I am now. I'm delighted with it." Despite his boxing stock continuing to rise, O'Toole still works shifts at a bar and grill in South Boston when he can. He is among a rather large group of current Irish boxers to have gone professional at a young age rather than fight at the Olympics. Paddy Donovan, Pierce O'Leary and Aaron McKenna are all on the verge of world title fights, having opted not to aim for the Olympic Games, and O'Toole also has big ambitions. While the Connemara man was close to getting to the 2020 Games at Tokyo and trained with the Irish team at the High Performance Unit, a split decision loss to Emmet Brennan at the 2020 Elite Championships saw the Dubliner go on to the Games in Japan. "It's funny I just enjoy my boxing more now than I ever did, I don't know what it is, I just never enjoyed the amateur system that much, even though it suited me, and it suited my style big time," stated O'Toole. "I really think if I made a push for it, that (the Olympics) could have been something I did, but I just was not happy doing it, and if you're not happy doing something, there's no point." He added: "Emmet beat me on the night, he deserved it, it was a close fight, but he was a deserved winner. I'm happy for him, that was a dream of his. He made those sacrifices that maybe I didn't make. "I was working, and I was studying, whereas I don't even think he was working, he just went full throttle at it and made that financial sacrifice and everything so, you fair play to him. He put the work in, and he got it. "I stand with my decision of getting my degree, and obviously I had to support myself too, so, yeah, everything happens for a reason I believe so, look, I'm here now, and it's working out." O'Toole has had a late opponent change for the weekend after Laurent Humes pulled out of their scheduled bout, with Alexander stepping in on late notice. "He's a real tough operator," said O'Toole of his opponent. "The main thing is just getting the win. Obviously, I'll be looking to impress, and the stoppage would be great, but the win is the most important thing. "This is a step up for me, but I'm well prepared for it, and when the pressure is on like that, I know that's when I perform my best, so, look, hopefully everyone will tune in and see it. It's a big fight against a good operator, but I'm very confident in the victory." O'Toole's ultimate aim is to get a shot at a world title as he looks to continue to work his way up the rankings this year. "I want to get a ranking title by the end of the year, that would be my goal," he said. "Obviously, every fight to step up bit by bit in the rankings, but with getting the right experience so when I do fight that top 10 guy, or please God, fight for the world title, I've been exposed to different styles, and different situations, and stuff. "This fight I know I'm going to have a tough night's work ahead of me, this guy, he's a real veteran, and he's had, I think, 200 rounds, like, he has the experience of a world champion, so I know it's going to be a good tough fight, and it's going to be a good learning fight for me too, so I'm really looking forward to it." It's a massive few weeks for Galway boxing as Kieran Molloy headlines a huge card at Pearse Stadium on June 28, with Sean McComb and Joe Ward among those in action on the undercard. "It's amazing" stated O'Toole on the Salthill event. "I'm really happy for him, because that's a dream of his, and that's amazing, that's history. A pro fight in Pearse Stadium and it's an unbelievable card. "He has a good, tough fight, and then you have some of the best fighters Ireland has ever produced on the undercard. You have Sean McComb, Joe Ward, you have Galway's own Gabriel Dossen and Jason Myers. "They're going to fill that place out, it's going to be great. He's worked hard his whole life, and he's made sacrifices as well so I'm happy he's getting this night." You can watch Thomas O'Tooole vs Vaughn Alexander live on DAZN from 1am Irish time on Sunday.
News18
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Stray Kids Dominate Los Angeles With Two Sold Out Shows
Stray Kids made history by becoming the first fourth generation K-pop group to hold a solo concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. They entertained fans for two nights on May 31 and June 1, as part of their Dominate world tour. Originally, only one show was planned, but a second concert was added later due to fans' high demand. The LA based stadium is known for hosting top music stars like The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, BTS and Twice. While it can hold over 70,000 people, Stray Kids, on both nights, attracted around 100,000 fans. Seeing the huge response from fans, the group members, Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and IN, took a moment at the end of the concert to thank everyone. As per All Kpop, the group said, 'We're so grateful to every STAY (fandom name) who came today. We were so happy to be able to give back the love we've received. This moment was possible because of you."
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
‘I caught British rock stars on film raw and up-close before they were famous'
Six decades ago photographer Gus Coral went on tour with a penniless band and took hundreds of candid photos. Now the band are global superstars and the unseen snaps have gone on show at a new exhibition When photographer Gus Coral looked under his bed he unearthed a treasure trove of unseen pictures of The Rolling Stones – stashed there more than 60 years ago. Fans of the rockers will undoubtedly feel the six decade wait was worth it when 100 candid pictures go on display in London from Friday June 6 in a new exhibition, Rolling Stones Unseen '63. The snaps from 1963 show The Stones' first ever UK tour, before they achieved global fame, documented by photographer Gus Coral. Now 87, Gus, of Camden, North London, was just 26 when he first encountered the then penniless blues loving band, touring as the support act for their idols Little Richard, Bo Diddley and The Everly Brothers. Gus tells The Mirror: "I have almost 200 hundred images of The Stones in total which I took after I was invited to photograph them on their first British tour. "Aside from showing a few photos to some friends over the years, the majority of these photographs have never been seen before because they have been under my bed for all those years. "It was only thanks to one of my children who said one day, 'Shouldn't you be doing something with those?' that this exhibition has come about. "So here we are. We will be having 100 photos on show for this exhibition and I am excited to see them on public display for the first time. 'Some people have asked why I have hung onto them for so long, but my philosophy about photography is that I wanted to take photos that were going to be important in the future and of historical importance." Gus's black and white images capture a baby faced Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts launching their first UK tour, which took in tiny music halls in places including Cardiff, Watford, Southend-on-Sea, Hanley, Wolverhampton and Cheltenham. The Stones performed two 10 minute sets at each venue and the tour was organised and promoted by Sharon Osbourne's late father, music impresario Don Arden and gave the band the exposure that helped make them global stars. Gus says: "I got to meet The Stones through my friend, film-maker Dick Fontaine, who was working for ABC Television at the time. We had been to see The Stones at The Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, west London, where they were the resident band. "Dick thought they were really good and he wanted to try and convince ABC to make a television film with them. He'd already filmed The Beatles, so he had a very good track record. "Cardiff was the nearest time we could catch them. It was their first national tour and I think Cardiff was the second date. So off we went. "But there was no hassle in getting access to them back then. We just went into the theatre, no press, no "access all areas" passes needed and all that stuff. "In fact, the guy on the stage door at Cardiff's Capitol Theatre told us they were in the cafe around the corne,r so we went and met them there. And then backstage and during the show I had complete access, no other photographers were there." By the end of the 30-date tour, the band's first single, a cover of Chuck Berry's Come On, reached number 21 on the UK chart and Gus knew The Stones were on the cusp of greatness. "When I took those photos I was 26. A little bit older than them, maybe 10 years older than some. But The Stones look incredibly young in these photos. So did I back then," laughs Gus., "Mick Jagger has a baby face in these images, but it was all there. You know, like the seeds of what he was to become. At that time they were a blues band. It wasn't rock n roll, it was blues and I was a real fan. The blues kind of just hit me, got my soul. 'After I photographed them in Cardiff they invited me to see them recording at a studio in Holborn, in central London." Just two two years later, in 1965, the The Stones took the music world by storm with (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, penned by Jagger and Richards, gave the band their first number one in the UK and the US. Now, after selling 250 million albums worldwide and amassing $2.9 billion from ticket sales during their 63-year-long career, The Stones are still rocking. And Mick, 81, Keith Richards, 81, and guitarist Ronnie Wood, 78, are back in the studio in London recording the follow up to their 2023 album Hackney Diamonds. Gus says: "I knew they would make it but nobody could have guessed how big they would have become. When I took the pictures of the band in 1963 The Stones had no money but Mick Jagger had great energy. "It is phenomenal they are still going, as touring is hard work. But I guess it is all down to Mick. He has always had a fantastic image. Without him it would not have happened in the way it did.' Excited about hopes of transferring his exhibition to New York after his London showcase, Gus adds: "These photographs have been a closely guarded secret for over 60 years, seen only by a handful of people. "They capture The Rolling Stones in a way the world has never witnessed, raw and ambitious. I'm thrilled to finally share them with the world. • The Rolling Stones Unseen '63 exhibition runs at Dockside Vaults in London's St. Katharine Docks, from Friday (June 6) to September 10.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
There was only one concert to be at in Edinburgh on Saturday night and it wasn't Robbie Williams
There was only one concert to be at in Edinburgh on Saturday night and it wasn't Robbie Williams Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... contributed Many famous faces have played Scotland's only five star concert hall since it opened in 1914 including Ella Fitzgerald, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Led Zeppelin. But as magnificent as those gigs will have been I'm not sure anything can match what 400 Rock Choir members and their friends and families experienced in the Usher Hall on Saturday night. We're all still buzzing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In celebration of her 15 years leading Rock Choir in Scotland Elaine Williamson coached her amateur singers to put on the performance of a lifetime in a beautiful venue, renowned for its excellent acoustics. I mean this was big for us. We're more normally to be found singing for runners at the Edinburgh Marathon, or in John Lewis Glasgow, raising money for the Beatson Institute. You might have seen us on the steps of The Dome at Christmastime. We don't normally have access to a dressing room. For many outdoor performances we store our bags at our feet, like penguins. From the instantly recognisable guitar riff of Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine which opened the show to the infectious 80s film theme to Flashdance (What a Feeling) which was the finale, we rocked, bopped, swayed and clicked our way through a two hour repertoire of Rock Choir's finest tunes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With choir members from Kirkintilloch, Glasgow West AM, Glasgow West PM, Edinburgh West Afternoon and Edinburgh Morningside Evening making up the performers, this was classic Rock Choir ambition achieved. Most of us don't read music. We love to sing but we have had no formal training. But we want to do Elaine proud so we rehearse our different harmony parts from soprano, upper alto, lower alto to bass and practise hard. Read more here: I spoke to my favourite member of Pulp and discovered they're Scottish We download the dance moves and work til we get it right. Along the way there is a lot of laughter, new friendships are formed and it's basically pure joy to be involved. See exhibit A - the video of us performing I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith last Saturday. If you missed this gig we're going head to head with another pair of 90s icons when Oasis play Murrayfield next month and we sing on the Fringe. (We have a sense of humour, we're learning a Rock Choir arrangement of Roll With It). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
When Rock Choir rocked the Usher Hall
There was only one concert to be at in Edinburgh on Saturday night and it wasn't Robbie Williams Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Many famous faces have played Scotland's only five star concert hall since it opened in 1914 including Ella Fitzgerald, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Led Zeppelin. But as magnificent as those gigs will have been I'm not sure anything can match what 400 Rock Choir members and their friends and families experienced in the Usher Hall on Saturday night. We're all still buzzing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In celebration of her 15 years leading Rock Choir in Scotland Elaine Williamson coached her amateur singers to put on the performance of a lifetime in a beautiful venue, renowned for its excellent acoustics. I mean this was big for us. We're more normally to be found singing for runners at the Edinburgh Marathon, or in John Lewis Glasgow, raising money for the Beatson Institute. You might have seen us on the steps of The Dome at Christmastime. We don't normally have access to a dressing room. For many outdoor performances we store our bags at our feet, like penguins. From the instantly recognisable guitar riff of Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine which opened the show to the infectious 80s film theme to Flashdance (What a Feeling) which was the finale, we rocked, bopped, swayed and clicked our way through a two hour repertoire of Rock Choir's finest tunes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With choir members from Kirkintilloch, Glasgow West AM, Glasgow West PM, Edinburgh West Afternoon and Edinburgh Morningside Evening making up the performers, this was classic Rock Choir ambition achieved. Most of us don't read music. We love to sing but we have had no formal training. But we want to do Elaine proud so we rehearse our different harmony parts from soprano, upper alto, lower alto to bass and practise hard. We download the dance moves and work til we get it right. Along the way there is a lot of laughter, new friendships are formed and it's basically pure joy to be involved. See exhibit A - the video of us performing I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith last Saturday. If you missed this gig we're going head to head with another pair of 90s icons when Oasis play Murrayfield next month and we sing on the Fringe. (We have a sense of humour, we're learning a Rock Choir arrangement of Roll With It). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
