Tragic boxing champion to be given memorial in home town

Sutherland, 27, nicknamed the Dazzler, was found hanged in his south London flat by his promoter and friend Frank Maloney on 14 September. He won a middleweight bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics and was a hot tip as a future world champion.

Councillors in his home town of Navan, County Meath, unanimously agreed a memorial plaque to the boxer they all knew as a "true gentleman" should be placed in the riverside setting of Andy Brennan Park. It was a unanimous vote by the nine-strong cross-party council.

"He is seen as part of Navan. He achieved a lot in his short life," Navan mayor Joe Riley said.

"The way that his life ended is very sad but it cannot overshadow what he achieved."

Sutherland's sudden death shocked the close-knit 30,000-strong Navan community who, in a year, have swung from the joy of celebrating Sutherland's Olympic bronze medal to hosting his funeral.

Officials are now hoping to strike a balance between making a tribute to Sutherland but also acknowledging his suspected suicide.

Mr Riley is to meet the boxer's parents, Tony and Linda, and the rest of the Sutherland family to discuss details of the design of the memorial which will be erected some time in 2010.

Sutherland moved from Navan in 2008 after the Olympics and lived with Maloney and his family for four months before getting his own flat in February 2009.

He won his first four professional bouts after switching weights to become a super middleweight after the Olympics.