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Famous Like Me > Actor > M > Barry McGuigan

Profile of Barry McGuigan on Famous Like Me

 
Name: Barry McGuigan  
   
Also Know As:
   
Date of Birth: 28th February 1961
   
Place of Birth: Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland
   
Profession: Actor
 
 
From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia

Barry McGuigan (born February 28, 1961 in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland), nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, was a professional boxer who became a world Featherweight champion, but whose feat in the ring paled with what he was able to accomplish outside of it.

McGuigan is a Catholic, and in a moment when Catholics and Protestant Christians were in the middle of a deeply rooted conflict in Northern Ireland, McGuigan and his Protestant girlfriend got married. They dreamed of showing Ireland that both factions of Christians live in peace. McGuigan gained national hero status, and during the days he was boxing, Irish people had a popular saying: Leave the fighting to Barry.

McGuigan, who is the son of the late Pat McGuigan, a famous singer in Ireland, started his professional boxing career on May 10, 1981, beating Selwyn Bell by a knockout in two rounds in Dublin. After another win, he suffered his first setback, losing to Chris Eubank's brother, Peter Eubank by a decision in eight rounds at Wembley, England. It should be pointed out that McGuigan campaigned during most of his career dividing his fights between Northern Ireland, Ireland and England.

After his first loss, McGuigan notched two more wins, including one over Terry Pizzarro, and then he was given a rematch with Eubank. The second time around, McGuigan prevailed, by a knockout in eight.

In 1982, McGuigan won eight fights, seven by knockout. One of the fights almost destroyed his career and his life. He was faced on June 14 of that year with Nigeria's Young Ali. McGuigan won by a knockout in six rounds, and Ali fell into a coma, from which he never recuperated, dying six months later in his homeland. According to the book The Ring Boxing The 20th Century, McGuigan has declared that he wasn't sure he wanted to keep on being a boxer after that fight.

But he did continue on boxing, and in 1983, he won four fights, including his first trip to fight outside Europe (when he beat Samuel Meck by a knockout in six in Ontario, Canada), before getting his first try at a title. On November 16, Italy's Valerio Nati defended his European Featherweight belt versus McGuigan in Belfast, and McGuigan won the crown with a knockout in the sixth round. He then became the number one Featherweight challenger in the WBA.

In 1984, he won five bouts, all by knockout. Among the fighters he beat were former world title challengers Jose Caba and Felipe Orozco. He also beat fringe contender Paul DeVorce to keep his chance at a Word Championship attempt alive.

In 1985, McGuigan met former world Featherweight champion Juan Laporte and won by a decision in the tenth round. Following one more win, he finally got his world title try when the WBA world featherweight champion Eusebio Pedroza came to London to put his title on the line against McGuigan. McGuigan became a world champion by dropping Pedroza in round seven and winning a unanimous fifteen round decision. McGuigan instantly became a national hero for most people in Ireland and most Irish people around the world.

During his time as world champion, McGuigan married his protestant girlfriend which resulted in further news coverage. He also engaged in promotional deals such as the release of a video game named Barry McGuigan Boxing. Later that year, he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

McGuigan made his first defense against Bernard Taylor, who was stopped in the ninth, and then against Danilo Cabrera, who got knocked out in fourteen rounds. This proved to be a controversial stoppage: The fight was stopped after the challenger bent over to pick up his mouthpiece after losing it, a practice that is allowed in many countries but not in Ireland. The challenger did not know that, and the fight was stopped. Although Cabrera's corner protested the outcome, McGuigan remained the winner by a knockout.

For his next defense, he went to Las Vegas in June of 1986, where he faced the relatively unknown Stevie Cruz from Texas in a fifteen round title bout. McGuigan held a lead halfway through, but suffered dehydration because of the extreme heat, and wilted near the end, being dropped in rounds ten and fifteen. He eventually lost a fifteen round decision and the world belt. After the fight, McGuigan required hospitalization because of his dehydrated state.

After that fight he retired, partly due to the death of his father in 1987. He used to say his father was his biggest inspiration and after the passing away of his father, he apparently felt there was no more reason to keep on boxing. However, he returned to the ring between 1988 and 1989, beating former world title challengers Nicky Perez and Francisco Tomas Da Cruz before losing to future challenger Jim McDonald by a knockout in four rounds. After that fight, he retired permanently from boxing.

McGuigan currently lives in London with his wife and children, and works as a boxing commentator for the BBC. He has also tried a hand at acting and was a star in the movie Malicious Intent in 2000. He has a music band, of which the famous Northern Irish actor, Adrian Dunbar, is also a member. He has had two biographical books written about him.

His record was of 32 wins and 3 losses, with 26 wins by the way of knockout. In January 2005, McGuigan was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.


Preceded by:
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
1985
Succeeded by:
Nigel Mansell

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Barry McGuigan