A man who was adopted as a baby traced his birth parents and discovered he is the son of legendary US boxing commentator ‘The Colonel’ Bob Sheridan.
Simon Edwards was born in 1980 and was given up for adoption because his mother was not married.
He was adopted by a British couple and lived a happy life but always wanted to know who his real parents were.
He traced his family back to Galway and learned his mother Rosemary had a relationship with the famous boxing commentator in the early 1980s.
She was working at a hotel where Sheridan had stayed during a summer and the two conceived a child.
Rosemary travelled to London and had her baby but gave him up for adoption. She tragically died just five years later.
Simon took a DNA test and it confirmed the family link with Sheridan so Simon set about trying to contact his birth father.
In America, Sheridan had just lost his wife of 26 years and it was actually the day of her funeral that he received a call to tell him he had a long-lost son.
Sheridan and his wife had no children of their own, so it was a huge surprise for the sports broadcaster.
He said: “Holy sufferin’ cats. I went from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high in just one hour.”
“About 30 people came back to my house where I had a pint of Guinness. Then I got a call from people high up in the Government and they told me without question that I have a 41-year-old son named Simon Edwards.
“We have talked on the phone every day. It is an inspiration in life for me. They took away my wife and the same day they gave me my long-lost son. I had no idea this boy existed. I was lost for words when I was told, I have spent every day on the phone with Colonel Jnr. It has given me a new lease of life and I’m looking forward to the reunion with junior in Las Vegas later this year.”
Sheridan is an iconic figure in the US boxing industry. He has commentated on legendary fighters including Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson.
However, he has warned that there is no fortune to be inherited as he was declared bankrupt in 2014.
All the money he has had throughout his career didn’t last long as Sheridan admitted he “spent it on booze and women. And the rest? Oh, I suppose I just blew it.”
However, both father and son are looking forward to meeting in the summer. Sheridan added: “We’ve been talking on the phone every day and I’m thinking this kid is more like me than I am. Here’s a baby boy that I can go and get hammered with.”
