Darren Sutherland, 27, who was found hanged in his London flat with his wrists tied together, told his father the day before he was “feeling low” and “losing confidence in his boxing”, the hearing was told.
However, the fighter, who won a bronze for Ireland in the super-middleweight division of the 2008 Games in Beijing, was fearful he would owe large sums of money to his manager, Frank Maloney, and his name would be blackened if he did not box, Croydon Coroner’s Court was told.
Sutherland was found dead at his flat in Bromley, south-east London, by Maloney in September 2009.
An autopsy ruled he died from asphyxia as a result of suspension by a ligature.
However, the inquest heard Sutherland’s family requested a second post mortem be carried out after it emerged his wrists were tied together when his body was found.
Professor Jack Crane, state forensic pathologist for Northern Ireland, raised concerns over possible third party involvement in the death and carried out a second autopsy. The results have yet to be heard by the inquest.
Mr Sutherland’s devastated parents Anthony and Lynda decided not to give live evidence to the hearing in Croydon, south London, on Monday.
But in a statement, Mr Sutherland told how the day before his death, his 27-year-old son revealed he was having doubts about his professional future.
In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Sutherland said: “He said he wished he had given up boxing when he came back from the Olympics.
“He said if he gave up he would have to pay Frank Maloney £75,000. He said Frank Maloney would destroy him and his family, and he would never get a job with anyone else.
“He said ‘at this moment in time I don’t want to box [in an upcoming fight] on the 16th .’”
The inquest heard he told his father: “I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t because if I do I’m going to get beaten, but if I don’t Frank is going to pull me out and I’ll have to pay him his money.”
The inquest heard Mr Sutherland had been increasingly concerned about his training while being managed by Mr Maloney.
He felt he needed specific strengthening and conditioning coaching, but this view was not supported by his trainer Brian Lawrence.
Mr Sutherland said: “He felt that Mr Lawrence was getting him to do things that would not benefit his boxing.
“Darren felt that his training was still not structured enough and Mr Lawrence did not have a good attitude, indeed had a bad attitude, towards Darren’s training.
“Darren continued to raise concerns about the preparation for an upcoming fight, concerns about Mr Lawrence.”
The inquest was also told that the week before his death, Mr Sutherland enjoyed a visit from his mother Lynda and a friend and ‘adviser’ Declan Brennan.
When his body was found, a handwritten note signed by Mr Brennan was found nearby.
The note read: “£75,000 + VAT to Frank. Give car back. Give flat back. £100,000 a year in salary lost for the next two years.
“Frank will destroy you and your family in the media.
“They will hunt you down, take photographs of you and do articles about how you f----- up.
“He will destroy you for the rest of your life and he’ll be right, you were given a God-given talent.
“You think you feel bad now, you just have no idea how bad it’s going to get. I will help you if you help yourself. Declan, your pal.”
The inquest heard Mr Sutherland had visited his GP in the weeks before his death as he had been having trouble sleeping.
He said he had been suffering from low mood and complained he did not have much of a support network where he lived.
He was prescribed sleeping tablets to help him restore his sleeping pattern and had begun seeing a counsellor, the inquest was told.
In a statement, Mrs Sutherland said her son was “anxious” but she did not believe he was depressed.
She said: “Although Darren had concerns and worries I do not believe he was suicidal at the time of his death. It is my honest belief that he did not commit suicide.”
The hearing continues.
