By Ronan Casey
No less an organ than Playboy was in Mullingar last week, spending some time with Mullingar boxer John Joe Nevin ahead of his return to the ring in the autumn.
Experienced sports journalist Tim Struby from the magazine spent a full week in the company of John Joe inside and outside of the ring and told Topic he was hugely impressed by what he’s seen in Westmeath.
“It’s been one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life,” he said on Monday, before he departed to New York.
From his base at the Mullingar Park Hotel, Tim interviewed and photographed John Joe throughout the week in and around Westmeath. As John Joe is currently intensely training as he prepares to make his comeback following his earth-shattering injuries, the journalist availed of the “downtime” to see Westmeath.
Family and friends of the boxer brought the journalist to many local attractions, including Mullingar Greyhound Stadium and the Hill of Uisneach. They wined and dined locally and many a head was turned on Monday night when they caught some of the best local musicians at Number 1. Tim interviewed several locals and members of the Irish boxing fraternity and he said he was most impressed with the welcome he received.
The American sportswriter has written extensively about all sports over the course of his two decade career and the feature story for Playboy is scheduled to be published next December or January.
John Joe’s comeback starts in earnest when he flies out to the USA in the coming weeks with fights planned for September, October and December.
