There's a storm rolling up Mount Olympus, raining attitude.

Darren Sutherland against James Degale is a fight just made for speechifying. Don King has bad little dreams about this kind of deal. You see, when he talks, Darren's so musical he belongs in Tin Pan Alley.

And Degale? Well, we'll get back to Jitterbug Jim.

Yesterday, an Olympic medal secured, Sutherland led us through a dance of his colourful story. Stop us if you've heard it. A Caribbean dad, a Finglas mother. A kid on the set of a movie that never made it ('The Sparrow's Trap'). That kid kicking the door of a caravan on set, to talk to the man who'd make him king (Brendan Ingle).

Three years of emptiness following in a Sheffield gym. Kid becoming master of all tasks menial. Due to turn pro at 20, he panics and comes home. Goes back to school at 21 (St. Peter's, Dunboyne) and in full school uniform (green blazer, tie). Buys a little car to avoid the humiliation of the bus stop.

Kids passes Leaving Cert and is named 'Student of the Year'. Rediscovers his love for boxing. Kid represents Ireland, but fractures his lower eye socket in a fight in Russia. Kid told his career is over.

Still with us?

Degale is standing in the mixed-zone now, talking with an effeminate twang, fidgeting like a kid with attention deficit. "It's going to be lovely," he grins from a forest of journalists. Degale and Sutherland have got history.

They've fought five times and, while Sutherland's won four, the Englishman recalls each defeat as a violation of the natural order. The pistons in his brain begin kicking.

"As you know, it's 4-1 to him," he says, a ripple of distaste on his lips.

"But the skills that I've got, I should beat him every day. Right?"

The British head coach swallows hard.

Degale is a fire in a paint factory now. He's talking about losing to Sutherland the way you might talk about a thief to the law. "It's 4-1, but two of those have been in Ireland," says James, as if we're barely house-trained.

"I think it was 10-9 in a Four Nations semi-final and 23-20 in the European Union semi-final. In Dublin!"

Head coach leans in and wonders would we mind awfully if he took possession of James for "five minutes", then all but wrestles Degale around the corner. James returns in 30 seconds, grinning vacantly. He opens his mouth and a press statement tumbles to the floor.

"Like I said, he's a tough opponent ... "

Anyway, back to Sutherland. He's played us all for fools here. He's just fought in a smart, analytical style that we imagined to be beyond him. Just beaten his "nemesis", Alfonzo Blanco Parra of Venezuela 11-1.

Parra beat him when winning silver at the World Championships. Just picked Sutherland off, like a picador with a bull. We braced ourselves for déjà vu and Sutherland went out and re-invented himself.

Fighting close with a high defence, he obliterated Parra. "Look, I gave you the fireworks the other night," he says, all but clucking his tongue now. "But I gave away 14 points too. Didn't want to do that in this one.

"So the tactics were perfect. Tie in the fella, close him down. And he played straight into my hands. Soon as the bell went, he came straight at me. It was perfect. Because I'm pretty strong in the zone.

"If anyone steps in and trades with me, there's probably only going to be one winner."

Historians search frantically for the last time Darren Sutherland fought a fight that didn't become a war. ONE SCORE. Yesterday, he conceded one score. It's like Jeremy Paxman not picking an argument.

Billy Walsh sweeps down on us in admonishment.

"Hey, Darren can box too," chides Billy. "Last time he fought Degale, he boxed him. And Degale was expecting a fight, but Darren boxed him. He's well capable of doing both."

The evangelist in Sutherland blinds us to the child within. He is emotional now, though he intends "keeping that behind closed doors."

And he trawls through all the bad stuff. The empty years in Ingle's care, trying to mimmick the gym star, Prince Naseem.

"I got totally disillusioned with boxing," he remembers. "I had no life. So I started to question what I was doing because all my eggs were in one basket."

The quiet humiliation of the classroom. "I was in with secondary school children, some who hadn't even done transition year. So they were only fifteen. And I had to wear the uniform. I've only one picture that my Mom took and I wouldn't let her take it anywhere."

The eye with two plates now in place to support it. "After being in hospital and not thinking that I would see properly again, this is child's play."

He watched Paddy Barnes and Kenny Egan come back to the village on Tuesday night and tried to imagine a homecoming in their shadow. The thought of it sent a shudder through him.

You see, Sutherland loves the light of these days. He was born to hold peoples' attention. "I think everything happens for a reason," he says now. "Going back to school, the eye injury. Everything.

"They've all made me the man I am today."

He just prayed for an Olympic draw with gentle favours, believing that if he could keep away from the Cuban, Russian and Kazak, Sutherland reasoned that he'd not be far from a medal bout.

"And, behold, I got the Venezuelan," he beams like Jimmy Swaggart with a basket. "And he was the perfect guy. My supposed nemesis, but I didn't fear him.

"Because it was redemption. The World Championship was a low-point for me and, probably, for Irish boxing at the time. We underperformed and everyone was writing us off, writing off the High Performance.

"But we're back punching above our weight again."

Darren says Degale will be an "interesting fight" and sees "nothing personal" in it. The Brits and the Irish now have three semi-finalists each.

And Jitterbug Jim?

"This time I'm going to use my brain," he announces. "I'm boxing excellent."

"Any gold medals for Britain?" enquires one of her majesty's journos.

"Two I'd say," says Degale.

"And you're going to be one of them?"

"Probably, yes."

Lawdee, lawdee. Where's Mister big hair when you need him?