Padraig McCrory has stammered for as long as he can remember. But the 34-year-old has refused to let his speech impediment define his life. Or sports career.
The world champion boxer can recall the "odd cruel remark" as he grew up in West Belfast. He remembers how it affected his confidence in school.Read more: Michael Conlan vs Leigh Wood rematch 'still a big attraction'"I never got much hassle when growing up. There was the odd cruel remark in school and things like that there.
"A couple of my friends had speech impediments, and my granda and a couple of uncles also had one. It is something I always worried about, if my kids would end up with one.Living with a stammer is something McCrory has rarely spoken about, but he recently shared his thoughts on social media after reading about Watford footballer Ken Sema.
"There might be times when it is worse than other times, but there is nothing I can do about it. I just hope it never becomes too embarrassing. "My first professional fight was on a big card. We did the public workout at Castle Court and the next day we did a press conference," he said. He also changes the structure of sentences, using different words to frame the message he wants to get across.
"When I started my boxing career, I said to myself that I wouldn't let it stop me from doing anything. But there are times when people take things for granted in terms of media stuff.McCrory says he tries to challenge himself when it comes to dealing with a stammer."You don't want to sound patronising, but I feel I try to challenge myself, and I work on different things that help me get through situations," he said.
"I am sure even he was concerned about doing the interview. But I am sure his interview will have helped many people.McCrory hopes that by opening up on his own story that he can raise awareness and offer encouragement to others."Sometimes I worry about whether some people might poke fun. It is a cruel world sometimes, and the vulnerability sometimes makes you go into your shell and avoid public situations.
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