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 on February 6, 1980, is a famous Irish former professional boxer. He was once a world champion in the Super Bantamweight division. He held titles from the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the European Boxing Union (EBU).
On March 21, 2009, Bernard Dunne won a huge fight against Ricardo Cordoba. He became the WBA Super Bantamweight champion. This exciting match was even named ESPN's "Fight of the Year" for 2009. Dunne lost his title later that year, on September 26, 2009. He officially retired from boxing on February 19, 2010.
In 2012, Dunne worked as a boxing expert for RTÉ Sport. He helped explain the boxing events during the 2012 Olympics.
Contents
Bernard Dunne's Early Boxing Days
Bernard Dunne was born in Neilstown, a part of Clondalkin, County Dublin. He started boxing as an amateur, which means he didn't get paid to fight.
- He had a great record of 119 wins and only 11 losses.
- He won 13 Irish boxing titles during his amateur career.
- Even with his success, he didn't get to compete in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Becoming a Professional Boxer
Bernard Dunne started his professional boxing journey in December 2001. His very first professional fight was in the United States. He won this fight in Oroville, California.
- In Los Angeles, Bernard trained with a very famous boxing coach named Freddie Roach.
- He trained at the Wild Card Boxing Gym, where he worked alongside many champions, including Manny Pacquiao.
- Dunne won his first 14 fights in the United States.
- After these wins, he returned to Dublin. His manager, Brian Peters, helped him make 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.
Winning European Boxing Titles
Bernard Dunne quickly started winning important titles. He won the IBC Super Bantamweight title by beating Sean Hughes in Dublin.
- On November 11, 2006, Dunne won the European Super Bantamweight title. He defeated Esham Pickering on points in his hometown of Dublin.
- In March 2007, he successfully defended this title. He won by technical knock-out against Yersin Jailauov in the third round.
- He defended his EBU title again in June 2007. He beat Walstad Reider by a unanimous decision.
Challenging for the European Title
The European Boxing Union (EBU) decided that Kiko Martínez would be the next fighter to challenge Dunne for his European title. Martinez and Dunne fought on August 25, 2007, in Dublin. This was Martinez's first fight outside of Spain.
- The arena was full of excited Irish boxing fans.
- The fight was shown live on RTÉ, the national TV channel.
- Martinez quickly knocked Dunne down in the first round.
- Dunne was knocked down two more times before the referee stopped the fight. The fight ended in just 90 seconds.
- Martinez's team later said they had bet on a first-round victory.
Road to the World Title
After his loss, Dunne continued to fight. He was scheduled to fight Marcos Jiménez in July 2008. However, Jiménez pulled out of the fight.
- His new opponent was Damian David Marchiano from Argentina.
- Dunne won the 10-round fight on points.
Becoming a World Champion
On March 21, 2009, Bernard Dunne faced Ricardo Cordoba from Panama. Cordoba was the WBA Super Bantamweight world champion. This championship fight took place at the O2 Arena in Dublin. It was the first world boxing championship fight in Dublin in 13 years.
- The fight was incredibly exciting and was named ESPN's "Fight of the Year."
- Dunne won by knocking Cordoba out in the 11th round.
- This was a historic day for Irish sports. Earlier that day, the Irish rugby team had won a Six Nations Grand Slam.
- A sports commentator, Jimmy Magee, noted that 61 years before, Ireland had also 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.
Defending the World Title
In May 2009, Bernard Dunne was offered a large sum of money to defend his world title against Rendall Munroe. However, Dunne turned down the offer.
- On August 20, 2009, it was confirmed that Dunne would defend his title against Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym.
- The fight took place at The O2 Arena in Dublin on September 26, 2009.
- Dunne lost his belt to Poonsawat in the third round. The fight was stopped because of the WBA's three-knockdown rule.
Retirement from Boxing
In late January 2010, Bernard Dunne was named "Boxer of the Year" at the Irish National Boxing Awards. Just three weeks later, on February 19, he announced that he was retiring from the sport of 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
After his boxing career, Bernard Dunne became involved in Gaelic games, which are traditional Irish sports. He has worked with several county teams.
- He worked with Davy Fitzgerald when Fitzgerald managed the Waterford county hurling team.
- In 2021, Dunne was part of a group helping the Galway county hurling team find a new manager. He stepped down from this role when Fitzgerald was considered for the job.
- From 2013, Dunne worked with Jim Gavin as a performance and lifestyle coach for the senior Dublin county football team. He had also worked with the county's under-21 team before that. He left this role during the 2017 season.
- In 2022, Dunne joined the Galway county football team.
