Barry McGuigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barry McGuigan |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
McGuigan in 2015
|
||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Real name | Finbar Patrick McGuigan | |||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Clones Cyclone | |||||||||||||
| Rated at | Featherweight | |||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | |||||||||||||
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Born | 28 February 1961 Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland |
|||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 35 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 32 | |||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 28 | |||||||||||||
| Losses | 3 | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||
Finbar Patrick "Barry" McGuigan is an Irish boxing promoter and a famous former professional boxer. He was born on February 28, 1961, in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland. People called him The Clones Cyclone because of his powerful boxing style.
Barry McGuigan was the WBA and lineal featherweight champion from 1985 to 1986. He also held the British and European featherweight titles before that. In 1985, he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Later, in 2005, he joined the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Contents
About Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan grew up in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland. His father, Pat McGuigan, was a singer. Pat would often sing the song "Danny Boy" before Barry's boxing matches.
As a young boxer, Barry represented Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games in 1978. He also represented Ireland at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. To be able to compete for British titles, he became a UK citizen.
Barry McGuigan became very popular in the mid-1980s. Many fans came to watch him fight, especially at the King's Hall in Belfast. Barry is a Roman Catholic, and he married Sandra Mealiff, who is a Protestant. This was important because at the time, there was a lot of conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles.
Barry said that both sides supported him because his fights brought people together. He explained that people wanted to forget the troubles for a while. He chose not to pick sides, which many people respected. Barry and his wife have also supported CLIC Sargent, a charity for children with cancer.
His Amateur Boxing Days
Barry McGuigan started boxing when he was young. He trained at the Wattlebridge Amateur Boxing Club and later the Smithborough Amateur Boxing Club. His trainers, Danny McEntee and Frank Mulligan, helped him become a great boxer.
He won the All Ireland Amateur Championship in 1976. He also fought in the Commonwealth Games in 1978 and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
1980 Olympic Fights
At the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Barry McGuigan competed as a featherweight. Here's how he did:
- Round of 32: He won against Issack Mabushi from Tanzania. The referee stopped the fight in the third round.
- Round of 16: He lost to Winfred Kabunda from Zambia by decision (1-4).
His Professional Boxing Career
Barry McGuigan started his professional boxing career on May 10, 1981. He won his first fight in Dublin by technical knockout (TKO). After another win, he had his first loss against Peter Eubank. But in a rematch, Barry won by knockout in the eighth round.
In 1982, Barry won eight fights, mostly by knockout. One of these fights was against Young Ali. Barry won by knockout in the sixth round. Sadly, Ali later passed away. This event deeply affected Barry, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue boxing.
In 1983, he won four more fights. He won the British Title against Vernon Penprase. He also fought outside Europe for the first time, winning in Chicago.
On November 16, 1983, Barry fought Valerio Nati for the European Featherweight title in Belfast. Barry won the title with a knockout in the sixth round. This made him the top challenger for the WBA featherweight title.
In 1984, Barry won six fights, all by knockout. He kept his British and European titles, getting closer to a world title fight.
Becoming a World Champion
In 1985, Barry McGuigan fought former world champion Juan Laporte and won. After one more win, he finally got his chance for a world title. He faced Eusebio Pedroza of Panama, the long-time WBA featherweight champion.
The fight took place at Loftus Road football stadium in London. Barry became the champion by knocking Pedroza down in the seventh round. He won by a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds. After his big win, Barry and his wife were celebrated in Belfast. Hundreds of thousands of people came out to cheer for them. Later that year, Barry was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He was the first person not born in the UK to win this award.
Barry defended his title against Bernard Taylor and Danilo Cabrera. His fight against Cabrera was a bit controversial. The fight ended when Cabrera bent down to pick up his mouthpiece, which wasn't allowed in Ireland. Barry won by knockout.
For his next title defense, Barry went to Las Vegas in June 1986. He fought Steve Cruz in very hot weather. Barry was ahead for a while, but the extreme heat made him very tired. He was knocked down in the tenth and fifteenth rounds. He lost the fight and his world title. After the fight, Barry had to go to the hospital because he was so dehydrated.
Retirement from Boxing
After losing his title, Barry McGuigan retired from boxing for a while. He returned to the ring between 1988 and 1989. He won several fights but then lost to Jim McDonnell when a cut over his eye stopped the fight. After this, Barry retired permanently from boxing. His final record was 32 wins and 3 losses, with 28 wins by knockout.
Today, Barry McGuigan is the founder and president of the Professional Boxing Association (PBA). He is also the founder and CEO of Cyclone Promotions, a company that manages and promotes boxers.
Professional Boxing Record
| 35 fights | 32 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 28 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Loss | 32–3 | Jim McDonnell | TKO | 4 (10), 1:43 | 31 May 1989 | G-Mex Leisure Centre, Manchester, England | |
| 34 | Win | 32–2 | Julio César Miranda | TKO | 8 (10), 1:12 | 1 Dec 1988 | Pickett's Lock Stadium, London, England | |
| 33 | Win | 31–2 | Francisco Tomas da Cruz | TKO | 4 (10), 1:43 | 25 Jun 1988 | Kenilworth Road, Luton, England | |
| 32 | Win | 30–2 | Nicky Perez | TKO | 4 (10), 2:55 | 4 Apr 1988 | Alexandra Pavilion, London, England | |
| 31 | Loss | 29–2 | Steve Cruz | UD | 15 | 23 Jun 1986 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, US | Lost WBA and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 30 | Win | 29–1 | Danilo Cabrera | TKO | 14 (15), 1:40 | 15 Feb 1986 | The Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland | Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | Bernard Taylor | RTD | 8 (15), 3:00 | 28 Sep 1985 | King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 28 | Win | 27–1 | Eusebio Pedroza | UD | 15 | 8 Jun 1985 | Loftus Road Stadium, London, England | Won WBA and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 27 | Win | 26–1 | Farid Gallouze | TKO | 2 (12), 1:20 | 26 Mar 1985 | Wembley Arena, London, England | Retained European featherweight title |
| 26 | Win | 25–1 | Juan Laporte | PTS | 10 | 23 Feb 1985 | King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 25 | Win | 24–1 | Clyde Ruan | KO | 4 (12), 2:50 | 19 Dec 1984 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Retained British and European featherweight titles |
| 24 | Win | 23–1 | Felipe Orozco | KO | 2 (10), 2:10 | 13 Oct 1984 | King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 23 | Win | 22–1 | Paul DeVorce | TKO | 5 (10), 1:30 | 30 Jun 1984 | King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 22 | Win | 21–1 | Esteban Eguia | KO | 3 (12), 0:45 | 5 Jun 1984 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | Retained European featherweight title |
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Jose Caba | TKO | 7 (10) | 4 Apr 1984 | King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Charm Chiteule | TKO | 10 (10) | 25 Jan 1984 | King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Valerio Nati | KO | 6 (12), 2:33 | 16 Nov 1983 | King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Won vacant European featherweight title |
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Ruben Dario Herasme | KO | 2 (10), 2:58 | 5 Oct 1983 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 17 | Win | 16–1 | Lavon McGowan | KO | 1 (10), 2:59 | 9 Jul 1983 | DiVinci Manoe, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Samuel Meck | TKO | 6 (10), 2:58 | 22 May 1983 | Navan Exhibition Centre, Navan, Ireland | |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Vernon Penprase | TKO | 2 (12), 2:50 | 12 Apr 1983 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Won vacant British featherweight title |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Paul Huggins | TKO | 5 (12) | 9 Nov 1982 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Jimmy Duncan | RTD | 4 (10) | 5 Oct 1982 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Young Ali | KO | 6 (8), 2:47 | 14 June 1982 | World Sporting Club, London, England |
Ali passed away from injuries after the fight |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Gary Lucas | KO | 1 (8) | 22 Apr 1982 | Lakeland Forum, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Angelo Licata | TKO | 2 (8), 2:45 | 23 Mar 1982 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Angel Oliver | TKO | 3 (8), 2:16 | 23 Feb 1982 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Ian Murray | TKO | 3 (8) | 8 Feb 1982 | World Sporting Club, London, England | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Luis de la Sagra | PTS | 8 | 27 Jan 1982 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Peter Eubank | TKO | 8 (8), 2:40 | 8 Dec 1981 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Terry Pizzaro | TKO | 4 (8) | 26 Oct 1981 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Jean-Marc Renard | PTS | 8 | 3 Aug 1981 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 3 | Loss | 2–1 | Peter Eubank | PTS | 8 | 3 Aug 1981 | Corn Exchange, Brighton, England | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Gary Lucas | TKO | 4 (6), 1:20 | 20 Jun 1981 | Empire Pool, London, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Selvin Bell | TKO | 2 (6) | 10 May 1981 | Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland |
Life After Boxing
After retiring from boxing, Barry McGuigan worked to create an association to help protect boxers' rights. He felt that boxers needed more support against powerful managers and promoters.
He has appeared on TV shows, including Hell's Kitchen in 2007, which he won. He also co-presented Charity Lords of the Ring. In 2024, he was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.
Barry McGuigan lives near Whitstable, Kent, with his wife. He works as a boxing expert for Sky TV. He is also the Chairman of the Professional Boxing Association. This group aims to teach boxers about the importance of education.
Awards and Recognition
Barry McGuigan has received many honors for his boxing career:
- He was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000.
- He joined the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.
- His fight against Steve Cruz in 1986 was named Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year.
- There was an 8-bit computer game called Barry McGuigan World Championship Boxing.
- A song called "Clones Cyclone" was written about him in 1984.
- The German musician Udo Lindenberg dedicated his song "Jonny Boxer" to Barry in 1986.
- The band The Worry Dolls also named a song "Barry McGuigan".
- A comedy record called 'Thank You Very Much Mr Eastwood' by Dermot Morgan made fun of Barry's habit of thanking his manager. It became a number one hit in Ireland in 1985.
- In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
- Barry McGuigan is a citizen of both Ireland and the United Kingdom.
See also
In Spanish: Barry McGuigan para niños
- List of featherweight boxing champions
