Ireland and Derby County defender Cyrus Christie taking inspiration from his heroic uncle Errol
Errol Christie was a champion amateur boxer who was sadly diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and has just weeks to live
CYRUS CHRISTIE will be Ireland’s first-choice right-back for the foreseeable future but has a fight on his hands at club level.
Yet the Derby County defender needs only to look to his uncle Errol for inspiration when it comes to tackling a challenge head-on.
Errol was one of the most prominent British boxers in the 1980s, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records for holding ten amateur titles at the same time.
Out of the ring, he was a man to be admired also, going toe-to-toe with the National Front, refusing to be cowed by racists.
Sadly, his passing is imminent. A non-smoker, he puts his terminal lung cancer down to the smoke-filled halls he fought in during his heyday.
And, in between Ireland’s training camp in Fota Island and meeting up again for last night’s game against Mexico, Cyrus made an emotional trip to visit him.
He said: “I got the phone call to say that he’s only got a few more weeks to live.
“He’s got over 100 tumours in his body.
“He’s had it for quite a while now. No one has actually survived that long with what he’s got, they’ve said.
“The tumours are that strong that they’re pushing through his body.
“I went down to visit him because he’s only got a while left and he could pass while I’m away with the national team. It could have been the last time I see him.
“I had to go see him, give my wishes.
“He said he can’t fight anymore, it’s too much for him now and he’s always been positive throughout.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard anything negative coming from his mouth.
“It’s been a tough time for my family, with him struggling with illness and one of our other cousins dying.”
Christie’s respect for his uncle is clear, believing he paved the way for young black men such as himself to prosper in England.
He added: “His career was phenomenal, to be honest, and there were some records that can’t be beaten because they’ve taken away the titles.
“He’ll live long in the memory. He’s got a great fanbase and people in boxing love him. He’s world-renowned, everyone is rooting for him.
“He’s paved the way for our generation to do what we are doing.
“The struggles and the trials and tribulations he came through were fantastic and it gives you courage to carry on and come through adversity.”
The defender will hope to draw on some of that family resolve to ensure that he has a future at Derby.
Although he believes himself to be the best right-back in the Championship, new Rams manager Gary Rowett does not seem to agree with his assessment, starting Christie in just three of the nine games for which he has been in charge.
It had even been thought that he could be on his way out of Pride Park on a free transfer this summer.
Derby never announced that — in his first season at the club, the 2014-15 campaign — they had extended his three-year deal by a further 12 months.
Christie — who was sidelined prior to Rowett’s appointment with a fractured foot — said: “That was when Paul Clement was in charge and, at that time, I was not in his plans.
“Maybe it was something to do with that, that they never released the news.
“There has been a lot of talk and speculation about it but I still have another year so we’ll see what happens.
“It has been a tough season. The manager knows what I’m capable of but when a new manager comes in, you don’t fit into their style sometimes and that’s been the case.
“He’s completely different to a lot of managers I’ve had.
“I’m quite an attack-based full-back and he prefers the more defensive. That’s just the way it is.
“He has to pick a team and I’m old enough and mature enough to deal with that.
“I’ll go in and adapt my game but I’m not going to change it too much because this is what I’ve made my career on.
“I feel that I’m one of the best full-backs in that league and, on my day, I think I am the best.
“He says I’m a good player but sometimes my style may not fit.
“Like I said, I’m willing to adapt to how he wants to play and we’ll go from there.
“I’m not thinking about my future away from Derby.
“My main focus now is playing for this country and doing well.”
While his reference to Ireland being ‘this’ rather than ‘my’ country is a reminder that he is Coventry born and bred, Séamus Coleman’s broken leg means he is now an invaluable player for us.
And the 24-year-old — who has two competitive starts under his belt which came in wins over Gibraltar and Germany en route to Euro 2016 — is hopeful he can do his shirt justice.
He said: “Of course, I back my ability always. I’ve touched on it many a time about how a fantastic player he is and how he’ll be a big miss.
“Séamus is injured now. For me, I need to step up and kind of do it for him. He’s backing me and he fills me with confidence.
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“We’re similar in some ways and different in others.
“I just want to go out and play my game. Hopefully I can fill his boots.”
Last night, Ireland took on Mexico at the MetLife Stadium, where New York Giants star Odell Beckham normally struts his stuff.
Christie and Beckham have a mutual friend in LA.
And that was where the Ireland star headed to after the end of the Championship season to ensure he is in the best possible condition ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Austria on Sunday week.
He explained: “I was in LA for 12 days, doing three sessions a day.
“It was at a place called EXOS, for athletes’ performance. It’s completely different and it’s stuff that I like to do compared to the way they do it in England.
“It’s hard to explain. In the mornings, it was movement and prep and physical conditioning. In the afternoon, it was gym work.
“Later on, I would do some football stuff with another guy.
“They were long days and I used to start at 8am and I was not getting back until 7pm.
“I feel the benefits and I have done it before when I was younger.
“When I was about 19, I came over. It was Lee Carsley who introduced me to it.
“I found the benefits of it then and hopefully this time I will also find the benefits.
“I did it to get myself ready for this because leading up to this, I had only played twice under the new manager.
“I wanted to get myself in the best shape possible and give myself the best chance to play and do well. Hopefully it pays off.”