Fear of failure drives Barnes to continued success

PADDY Barnes has revealed the secret behind his success- fear of losing.

And the six time Irish champion and two time Olympic medal winner claims that fear of failure has ensured is well prepared to take his Irish flyweight title back of Hughie Myers tonight.

The Belfast fighter didn’t enter last years contest due to illness and the Royston flyweight took full advantage to claim his first National crown.

Barnes, however, is adamant he will once again become his Lord of the Irish Fly’s with victory in the Stadium tonight.

“Hughie Myers only took my title because I was sick and didn’t weigh in last year,” Barnes told RTE Sport.

“But Hughie is a very good boxer. We fought before and it was very very close. In the last fight, in 2012, I underestimated him a bit and tried to blow him away. Hughie is very good at what he does, with his hooks, and I played into his hands going in all guns blazing and he countered the life out of me.

“It was a close fight, I still came out on top but now going into Friday’s final I know what he does best and I’m going to take it away from him.”

Barnes expects a tactical battle against Myers but believes that fear of losing is his secret weapon.

“It’ll be very tactical. I know what he does, and he can only think one way, but he’s very good at it,” he added before revealing what motivates him.

“What motivates me the most is that I’m afraid to lose. So I have to train my hardest.

“If I lose, it’ll be in the back of my head, everyone will be talking about me – ‘Oh Paddy Barnes is on the slide’ – I’m scared of that so I train my hardest and I’ll be the best prepared I can be.”