Paddy Barnes will go through the pain barrier in order to complete a remarkable rise from fringe international contender to successful Olympian.

Ireland’s boxing team for the Olympics, including Paddy Barnes (centre) who says his |parents have played a major part in helping him get to Beijing

Just 18 months ago the 21-year-old Belfast man was winning his first Irish light-flyweight title and now he prepares for battle in Beijing with as good a chance as any of the five Irish boxers of grabbing a medal.

Barnes is right when he says that “so much depends on the draw” but as he demonstrated at the World Championships last year whatever the challenge he rises to it.

Even a damaged thumb which will require a long rest after the Games will not prevent him from giving every opponent the fight of their lives, just as he did in making the quarter-finals in Chicago where he secured qualification for Beijing.

“I wouldn’t care if my thumb was hanging off, I’d still be coming forward throwing punches,” said Barnes.

“I’ve had the problem for a few months, it’s bone bruising and in sparring I’ve had to wear a cast. The surgeon has told me that after the Olympics I have to rest it.

“I’m ready to take the pain to get a medal and I know that on my day I can beat anyone in the world.

“The High performance unit has made a big difference to all the guys.

“The sparring and training

camps have really brought us on a lot and to compete at the highest level you need that.”

Barnes became the first Irishman to qualify for the Games and watched as the other four, Darren Sutherland, Ken Egan, John Joe Nevin and John Joe Joyce ground their way through the qualifying tournaments.

The World Championships certainly proved a turning point for Barnes in more ways than one as it came on the back of the disappointment at the EU Championships in Dublin when a freak eye injury spoiled his chances.

Then when it came time for selection for Chicago the Holy Family boxer was not even on the Irish Amateur Boxing Association’s radar.

But with a little persuasion they decided to send him and Barnes rose to the occasion, winning three contests in swashbuckling fashion before losing to eventual winner and Olympic favourite Zou Shiming of China.

“The World Championships gave me an awful lot of experience,” added Barnes, who up until recently wasn’t even funded by Sport NI.

“I got to see all the top guys and box the world champion in the quarter-finals and I would love to face him in the final in Beijing.

“To be honest just fighting in the Olympics is amazing because I had never even thought about it last year.

“I didn’t even know there was an Olympics on in 2008, it wasn’t in my head until I went to the Commonwealth championships and just before the World championships and had a great training camp in France.

“It’s amazing the interest that the Olympics has caused and it’s nice that people I’ve never met before have been coming up to me and wishing me well.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I‘ll be giving it everything I have to get a medal.

“I’ve given up a job with the Post Office, quit college to be able to give it my best shot and without my father and mother backing me financially I wouldn’t be here and my girlfriend Mari has been a great support as well.

“I‘m feeling stronger than I’ve ever done at the weight and I’ve been doing light-fly for five years now.”