{"id":40,"date":"2024-08-19T11:44:50","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T10:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/?p=40"},"modified":"2024-08-19T13:27:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T12:27:44","slug":"declan-fusco-from-addiction-to-redemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/2024\/08\/19\/declan-fusco-from-addiction-to-redemption\/","title":{"rendered":"Declan Fusco From Addiction To Redemption"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Declan Fusco GB Boxer Rebuilding His Career BTR Boxing\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oz1FSt2sE_s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You could say Declan Fusco has a master\u2019s degree from the university of life, having learned many lessons the hard way. Once a promising young boxer with his whole career ahead of him, his progress was almost permanently halted by ill-discipline, which led to a constant cycle of addiction and trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how did such a talented boxer\u2019s career end up being derailed so drastically?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI never knew I was an addict. It started as a once-in-a-while kind of thing, then it became a once-a-week thing, and then it was once a day. It just grew and grew. I would go a couple of weeks without [using] during the British championships, but that was it really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these ongoing issues, Declan was still being invited to train with the national setup with some of the best boxers and coaches the country has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"828\" height=\"746\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23157\/2024\/08\/IMG_2863.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23157\/2024\/08\/IMG_2863.jpeg 828w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23157\/2024\/08\/IMG_2863-300x270.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23157\/2024\/08\/IMG_2863-768x692.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Declan Fusco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was class! Rob McCracken is one of the top coaches in the sport. We were training like four times a day when we would be in a camp. The issue was that, with having ADHD, my time keeping isn\u2019t the best. When they say the session starts at 9 a.m., they mean get there at half 8 and get warm, ready to start bang on 9. I would typically come in at five to nine, then need to put my boots on and wrap my hands. The coaches got tired of that after a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This poor time keeping was one of the major factors leading to Declan\u2019s removal from the GB squad. Following such a blow to his confidence, he spiralled back into bad habits and even worse situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to issues with drug and alcohol addiction, Declan also had many run-ins with the police, unable to keep himself out of trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was hanging around with some idiots, in all honesty. I would be out, and things would just escalate. People knew I was a boxer, and I would get pushed and pushed! Obviously, I was also not capable of making good decisions either. It led to some very bad situations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, Declan spoke to a friend who showed him there was a life beyond addiction and pointed him in the direction of a drug and alcohol rehab recovery centre called The Fellowship. They put him in contact with a sponsor who is now there to help guide him through the many steps on the road to recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey say stick with the winners, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing. I\u2019m currently coming up 10 months clean, which seemed impossible. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve done that since I was a kid. I feel great now. Every day I just have to stick with it and keep at it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, while on the path to turn his life around, Declan is trying to restart his career and prove right all those who have believed in him throughout the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI just like to spend time with family now and train, but that\u2019s it really. I\u2019m training here at Jobes\u2019 gym and it\u2019s a great environment for me. There\u2019s some really good lads here, and it\u2019s exactly what I need. I really love coming in and training, having a bit of a laugh, and pushing myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He went on to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just waiting for the British Boxing Board to approve me for my licence. I had some issues getting one due to the DBS check because of a charge I got years ago. Once that\u2019s all sorted, I\u2019m raring to go and make up for lost time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Declan also said:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was always told I could go as far as I want to. I had a great career as an amateur, but that means nothing in the pros. It\u2019s up to me now to show how good I really can be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Declan proves that despite the hardships you\u00a0may face throughout the years you, can still overcome them with drive, determination, and, most importantly, a will to be better. With plenty of time left on the clock and a hunger to succeed, there is every chance we could see one of the North East\u2019s most gifted boxers challenging for honours and headlining shows one day very soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on addiction support please visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/live-well\/addiction-support\/\">Addiction support &#8211; NHS (www.nhs.uk)<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You could say Declan Fusco has a master\u2019s degree from the university of life, having learned many lessons the hard way. Once a promising young boxer with his whole career ahead of him, his progress was almost permanently halted by ill-discipline, which led to a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":222,"featured_media":42,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/matthew-thomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}