Bernard Dunne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bernard Dunne |
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | Bernard Dunne |
| Nickname(s) | The Dublin Dynamo |
| Rated at | Super Bantamweight |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born | 6 February 1980 Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 30 |
| Wins | 28 |
| Wins by KO | 15 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Bernard Dunne (born 6 February 1980) is a retired Irish professional boxer. He was once the WBA (Regular) and European Super Bantamweight champion.
On March 21, 2009, Bernard Dunne won against Ricardo Cordoba in the 11th round. This made him the WBA (Regular) super bantamweight champion. Their fight was so exciting that ESPN called it the "Fight of The Year" for 2009. Both boxers were knocked down several times during the match. Dunne lost his title later that year on September 26, 2009. He announced his retirement from boxing on February 19, 2010.
In November 2009, a book about Bernard Dunne was released. It was called Bernard Dunne: The Ecstasy and the Agony. This book covered his life from the beginning up to his fight against Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym. In 2012, Dunne worked as an expert for RTÉ Sport. He helped explain the boxing matches during the 2012 Olympics.
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Bernard Dunne's Amateur Boxing Career
Bernard Dunne was born in Neilstown, Clondalkin, County Dublin. He boxed as an amateur for Ireland. He had a great record of 119 wins and only 11 losses. He also won 13 Irish boxing titles. However, he did not qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Bernard Dunne's Professional Boxing Journey
Bernard Dunne started his professional boxing career in December 2001. His first professional fight was in the United States. He won this fight in Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, California. While in Los Angeles, Bernard trained with the famous boxing coach Freddie Roach. He trained at the Wild Card Boxing Gym, alongside many champions like Manny Pacquiao. Dunne won his first fourteen fights in the United States.
After these wins, he returned to Dublin. His manager, Brian Peters, made a special deal with RTÉ. This meant Dunne's fights in Dublin would be shown live on national television. This was the first time an Irish boxer had such a deal.
Dunne won the IBC super bantamweight title by beating Sean Hughes. This fight took place at the National Stadium in Dublin. On November 11, 2006, Dunne won the European Super bantamweight title. He beat Esham Pickering on points in his hometown of Dublin. In March 2007, he defended this title. He won by a technical knock-out (TKO) against Yersin Jailauov in the third round. He defended his EBU title again in June 2007. He defeated Walstad Reider by a unanimous decision.
The EBU made Kiko Martínez the required opponent for Dunne's European super bantamweight title. Martinez and Dunne fought on August 25, 2007. The fight was at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. This was Martinez's first fight outside of Spain. The Point Depot was full of Irish boxing fans that night. The fight was shown live on RTÉ. The fight started with Dunne keeping his guard low. However, Martinez quickly knocked Dunne down with a strong punch. Dunne was knocked down quickly and the referee stopped the fight in the first round.
Dunne was then set to fight Marcos Jiménez on July 12, 2008. But Jiménez pulled out of the fight. His replacement was Damian David Marchiano from Argentina. Dunne won this 10-round fight on points.
On March 21, 2009, Dunne fought Panamanian WBA Super Bantamweight world champion Ricardo Cordoba. This fight was at the O2 Arena in Dublin. It was the first world boxing championship fight in Dublin in 13 years. This fight was named ESPN's "Fight of the Year." Dunne won in a very exciting match. He knocked Cordoba out in the 11th round. This was a historic day for Irish sports. Earlier that day, the international rugby team had won a Six Nations Grand Slam. Jimmy Magee noted that 61 years before, Ireland had won a Six Nations Grand Slam and a Boxing World Title on the same day. On April 10, 2009, the World Boxing Association named Dunne "Boxer of the Month" for March.
In May 2009, promoter Frank Maloney offered Dunne a lot of money. It was to defend his world title against Rendall Munroe. But Dunne said no. On August 20, 2009, it was confirmed that Dunne would defend his World title. This fight was at The O2 Arena, Dublin, on September 26, 2009. His opponent was the top-ranked contender Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym. Dunne lost his belt to Poonsawat. The fight was stopped in the third round because of the WBA's three-knockdown rule.
In late January 2010, Dunne was named "Boxer of the Year" at the Irish National Boxing Awards. Three weeks later, on February 19, he announced he was retiring from boxing.
Bernard Dunne's Championship Belts
| Sanctioning Body and Weight Class | Defeated | Lost to | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Boxing Council Super Bantamweight | Sean Hughes (boxer)  (Vacant Title) |
(Vacated) | 2005 |
| European Boxing Union Super Bantamweight | Reidar Walstad  (Vacant Title) |
Kiko Martinez  |
2007 |
| World Boxing Association Super Bantamweight | Ricardo Cordoba  |
Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym  |
2009 |
Involvement in Gaelic Games
Bernard Dunne has also been involved in Gaelic games. He worked with Davy Fitzgerald when Fitzgerald managed the Waterford county hurling team. Dunne was also part of the Galway county hurling team's search for a new manager in 2021. He later stepped away from the interview panel.
Dunne worked with Jim Gavin for the senior Dublin county football team. He was their performance and lifestyle coach starting in 2013. Before that, he worked with Gavin for the county's under-21 team. He left during the 2017 season.
In 2022, Dunne joined the Galway county football team.
