No Beef burns to get back between ropes

O’Keefe (left) with Pete Hickenbottom and James Beech

JACK “No Beef” O’Keefe – one of the country’s handful of boxing vegans, hence the glorious ring nickname – is back and burning to make his mark.

The tough lightweight aims to return in May after taking time out for a matter infinitely more important than the sport.

He and his partner have celebrated a nappy event, the birth of their son, also called Jack, four months ago.

Sutton Coldfield’s O’Keefe has taken time off to make the most of fatherhood, but has been ticking over in the McCracken gym. “Fatherhood is fantastic,” he told me, “something you can’t describe unless you’ve been through it.”

O’Keefe, one of the game’s true nice guys, last fought in November, 2021 – and that was the biggest bout of his 12 bout career (two losses).

Dubbed a virtual no hoper, he pushed Commonwealth champ Gavin Gwynne to a points decision with the belt on the line.

“No one thought I’d go five rounds,” said O’Keefe. “I know the scoring was wide, but I felt I was in it for every round and people told me afterwards that was the hardest fight he’d had.”

O’Keefe, now 29, sprang to prominence in September, 2019, when he took the vacant Midlands title. He started a heavy underdog against Shaun Cooper – a boxer tipped for big things, but tore up the script with a sickening body attack.

That was a memorable night at Villa Park’s Holte Suite. I wrote after the showdown: “For fighting vegan Jack ‘No Beef’ O’Keeffe, one meaty body shot ensured the new boxing season started with a stunning title upset. That left hook, driven to the floating rib, drained every ounce of strength and stamina from favourite Shaun Cooper.

“The pain spread across his features like ink on blotting paper and, after a following salvo of shots to the midriff, the Willenhall prospect slumped to the floor. Referee Kevin Parker tolled the full count, at one minute 16 seconds of the fourth, as 22-year-old Cooper attempted to rise.”

After defending the belt, Jack lost it to Tion Gibbs in September, 2021, by a one point margin. The difference between the pair was a controversial first round knockdown: O’Keefe was adamant he touched down courtesy of a head clash.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of that result, I felt O’Keefe looked – and performed – like a man who needed to step-up to light-welter (10st). This week, however, he insisted his future remains at lightweight.

“I did 12 rounds against Gwynne,” he insisted. “I’m coming back with more hunger, I just want to get back.

“There are a few fights out there I’d like. I don’t want to compete at Midlands level anymore, I’ve done that. An English title fight would be nice and a British title would be great. That would be my world title fight.”

There are a lot of mouth-watering opportunities out there for O’Keefe, a tough, hardened competitor with a solid chin.

And the man who shuns all meat products is confident he can steak a claim as a top contender.