Fighting fire with fire: From facing down Los Angeles flame to Irish boxing pilgrimage

TALK about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It is coming up on a month since boxing fanatic Scott Henderson swapped the United States for a punching pilgrimage to Ireland, having long followed the fortunes of the country’s fighters from afar.

However, although no stranger to these shores, this has not been a typical holiday. In truth, it has been more akin to camp for a title fight.

With friends in Ardee, Henderson set up base in Dundalk and mostly trained alongside respected coach Paul Taaffe from O’Hanlon Park boxing club; sparring or working on fundamentals in the evenings from Monday to Thursday, doing separate sessions earlier those days, body strength training on Friday and Saturday, before the week is topped off with a run around Blackrock.

Earlier this week he travelled up to Belfast to fulfil a long-held dream as he toured the famous Holy Trinity club, hitting pads with renowned trainer Mickey Hawkins before spending time soaking in the history that hangs from the walls all around.

Wife Jennifer booked the trip, booked her husband an apartment in Dundalk because it was central enough to be within travelling distance to pretty much anywhere he wanted to go. Beyond that, though?

Henderson was on his own – no car, and no real clue about his adopted home. No problem.

“I just told myself I was going to walk and run to everything,” he says, “and Irish Rail has been great too – I’ve been to Dublin, Belfast, Derry, Bray, home of my hero, Katie Taylor.

“I just got on the train and got lost…”

It should come as no surprise that worry wouldn’t register in an alien environment considering, just weeks before travelling across the Atlantic, Henderson was on the front line as devastating wildfires raged across Los Angeles.

Stationed in Pasadena, several of his colleagues in the fire service saw their homes reduced to ash as they battled to save what they could.

“I was working the day the fires took off.

“When the winds kicked up to 80mph, we were already running a bunch of calls about downed trees, traffic collisions, medical calls of trees hitting people… then, we knew this was going to be a bad day.

“A fire took off in the hills, at Eaton, below a power pole and, with the 80mph winds, it shot embers all over structures in Altadena and Pasadena. My partner and I were actually on a rescue ambulance that day and we heard the call go out for a commercial structure fire, with victims trapped and multiple evacuations.

“We were right there so it was like ‘let’s go’; we put ourselves on the call, an emergency dispatch, then we had to go and pull multiple people out of a convalescent home that was on fire.

“That was wild because we had to have 80-year-olds assist 80-year-olds, and they’re scared because when they look out the door, it’s apocalyptic; the world is burning. The palm trees are on fire, the grass is on fire, fences, structures are on fire, and as they walked through it they were just getting hit in the face with embers.”

The next three days were spent, from morning until night, putting out house fires while crews from other stations tried to get a handle on the flames high in the hills.

“We did what we could, and it was like that for two weeks… there was lot to mop up after. You would drive through that area and just see houses on fire.

“We were overwhelmed, outnumbered, we didn’t have enough resources, and then we ran out of water, so it was very tough. I’ve been fighting fire for 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like that.”

That why’s taking a few digs in the face, or a shot to the stomach, is child’s play in comparison.

After spending the last few days working closely with former Irish elite champion Ricky Nesbitt, Henderson flies home today, with the training goal a May 17 charity bout on a ‘Battle of the Badges’ bill between fire and police departments in southern California.

The 45-year-old offers peer support for non-profit organisation Next Rung, whose mission is to help combat mental health issues among firefighters and first responders, and also hosts an annual fight night to raise awareness.

It was through this initiative that he first got the opportunity to trade leather and, for his second fight, he wants 12-year-old daughter Berlin to join him on the walk to the ring.

“That’s a big part of my reason for doing this,” he says, “because I was running my own show last time I boxed, trying to get everything set-up, get focused to fight, I wasn’t really thinking of anything else.

“She is a huge fan of Katie Taylor too, so walking with me to the ring will be a cool thing to do.”

And, in those moments, time spent in Ireland won’t be too far from Henderson’s thoughts; the past month representing the realisation of a long-held dream.

“Oh man, I have always wanted to spend time in Ireland, to box in Ireland.

“”Paul [Taaffe] has been amazing – I’ve made a great friend, I love what he’s done with me. We walk home, we talk – he’s like the Mickey to my Rocky Balboa!

“I’ve always followed Irish boxing, Holy Trinity is my favourite gym, the Hawkins’s are legendary, iconic coaches. I was nervous going there, but I knew I was going to learn – and it was the best thing I ever did.

“Coming here, I wanted to be a part of the culture, to experience that. I didn’t just want to say I love Irish boxing, or that I’ve been to Belfast, I wanted to feel it.

“I’m an old soul, I’m always looking for purpose, for belonging, and it felt good coming here. I wanted to make connections, and I’ve done that. This has just been epic.”