Top Irish Boxing Champions
Ireland has a lengthy tradition with boxing. The country’s amateur boxing sanctioning body - the Irish Amateur Boxing Association - was founded in 1911 in Dublin. It is one of the few amateur organizations to own and control its own stadium - the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin. This commitment has led to Irish boxers having won 12 Olympic medals, taking home more medals than Irish athletes in any other sport.
Not surprisingly, the emphasis on amateur boxing in Ireland has also created a long history of successful Irish professional fighters. While some of these fighters either stayed in Europe or had trouble when stepping up on the world stage, others were able to take the leap forward and become world champions. Here is a list highlighting some of the most noteworthy Irish professional boxers in history:
George Gardner: Depending on which record you look at, his last name was either “Gardner” or “Gardiner”. But either way you spell it, George Gardner was one of the toughest fighters of the early 20th century and is recognized as the first Irish-born world champion. He was born in County Clare, Ireland and moved to the United States as a youth. He came from a boxing family - his father was reputed to have been a fighter in Ireland, and his brothers Billy and Jimmy also became well known prizefighters.
Gardner became the middleweight champion by winning a series of fights in 1901 and 1902 - including beating Frank Craig, Kid Carter and Barbados Joe Walcott in fights billed as “welterweight title” fights. He would later move up and claim the original light heavyweight championship by knocking out Jack Root before losing it in his first defense against 41-year-old Bob Fitzsimmons - considered by some to be one of the biggest upsets in early boxing history.
Barry McGuigan: With the nickname “The Clones Cyclone” coming from his birthplace in Ireland and his fast-paced boxing style, Barry McGuigan became one of the most popular fighters of the 1980s and earned the admiration of the Irish public. His victories would become occasions for celebrations throughout Ireland, and he would become the first person not born in the UK to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year after winning the WBA featherweight title in 1985.
McGuigan had a particularly close relationship with his father Pat, a famous singer in Ireland. His father would traditionally sing the Irish standard “Danny Boy” before many of McGuigan’s major fights, helping to create an electric atmosphere. In fact, it was Pat McGuigan’s death which originally led McGuigan to retire in 1987 after losing his title to Stevie Cruz - he felt that he didn’t have the desire to compete. McGuigan has remained a popular figure in the UK since his retirement thanks to his charity work and media appearances. He dabbled in acting and hosting a talk show, and also won a celebrity edition of the popular UK reality show h**l’s Kitchen.
Wayne McCullough: Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wayne McCullough would come to be known as the “Pocket Rocket” thanks to possessing major power in the frame of a featherweight. He starred as an amateur, winning a Commonwealth Games title for Northern Ireland in 1990 and the silver medal for Ireland in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.
McCullough won the NABF featherweight title within a year of turning pro. On July 30, 1995, he would become a world champion when he beat Yasuei Yakushiji in Japan for the WBC featherweight title. He would defend the belt twice before moving up to in weight for larger fights. He would lose a controversial split decision to Daniel Zaragoza for the WBC Super Bantamweight title in November 2007 and later take highly regarded champions Nassem Hamed and Erik Morales the distance.
His career was interrupted by the diagnosis of a cyst in his head - doctors first told him he could not fight again but changed their opinion after further consultation, but it took almost two years before the British Boxing Board of Council would reinstate his license. McCullough has not fought since losing to Juan Ruiz in 2008 but has recently been hinting at a comeback.
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