Paddy Barnes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paddy Barnes |
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Barnes at the 2016 Olympics
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| Real name | Patrick Gerard Barnes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Leprechaun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rated at | Flyweight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 64+1/2 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Irish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 April 1987 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
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| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Patrick Gerard Barnes (born April 9, 1987) is a famous Irish former boxer. He was known for his amazing amateur career from 2005 to 2016, where he won many important medals. He then became a professional boxer from 2016 to 2019.
Paddy, also known as "The Leprechaun," represented Ireland in three Olympic Games: 2008, 2012, and 2016. He won bronze medals in Beijing (2008) and London (2012) in the light-flyweight division. He also proudly represented Northern Ireland at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, winning a gold medal at both events. As a professional, he even fought for a world title in 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Boxing Start
Paddy Barnes started boxing when he was 11 years old. He joined the East Coast Boxing club to train. When he was 16, he moved to the Holy Family ABC club in Belfast. Even though he had a tough start with his first 21 fights, he kept working hard.
Amateur Boxing Career
Paddy Barnes had a very successful amateur boxing career, winning many medals for Ireland and Northern Ireland.
2007 European Union Championships
In 2007, Barnes competed in the EU Championships in Dublin. Sadly, he had to leave the competition early because of an eye injury. He had bleeding behind his retina, which meant he couldn't continue fighting.
2007 World Championships
Later in 2007, Barnes went to the World Championships in Chicago. He fought well and made it to the quarter-finals. He lost to China's Zou Shiming, who went on to win the gold medal. Even though he didn't win a medal, reaching the quarter-finals helped him qualify for the 2008 Olympics.
2008 European Union Championships
In 2008, Barnes returned to the EU Championships in Poland. He fought his way to the final match, where he won a silver medal. This silver medal was important because it helped him secure his spot at the Summer Olympics.
2008 Olympic Games
Paddy Barnes made history at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He won Ireland's first medal of the Games by reaching the semi-finals in the light-flyweight division. He earned a bronze medal after losing to Zou Shiming again in the semi-final. It was a close fight, and replays even showed some of Barnes's punches were wrongly counted as points for his opponent.
2010 European Championships
On June 12, 2010, Barnes won a gold medal at the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships. He beat Elvin Mamishzade from Azerbaijan with a score of 4–1 in the light-flyweight final. This was a big win for him!
2010 Commonwealth Games
Barnes represented Northern Ireland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He won another gold medal, beating Jafet Uutoni from Namibia in the final match.
2012 Olympic Games
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Barnes continued his success. He won his quarter-final fight, which guaranteed him at least another bronze medal. This made him the first Irish boxer to win medals at two Olympic Games in a row! In the semi-final, he faced Zou Shiming for the third time. The fight was incredibly close, ending in a tie, but Barnes lost by a small margin after a special countback. Shiming went on to win gold again.
2014 Commonwealth Games
In 2014, Barnes was the captain of the Northern Ireland boxing team at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He led by example, winning another gold medal in the flyweight division. He beat Devendro Singh from India in the final. This was a special achievement because he was the first Northern Irish boxer to win two Commonwealth titles in a row!
After his amazing performance, Barnes received an honour called the MBE in 2015 for his contributions to boxing and the community in Northern Ireland.
2015 World Series of Boxing
Barnes also competed in the WSB during the 2014–2015 season. He joined a team called Italia Thunder. He had a great season, winning five of his six fights. He won against boxers from different countries like Azerbaijan, Puerto Rico, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela.
2016 Olympic Games
Barnes had the great honour of carrying the Irish flag at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He said it was an "incredible honour." In the boxing competition, he was defeated in the round of 16 by Samuel Carmona.
National Titles
Paddy Barnes also competed in national boxing championships. He won the All-Ireland title in 2007 and 2008.
Professional Boxing Career
After a very successful amateur career, Paddy Barnes decided to become a professional boxer in 2016.
First Professional Fight
Barnes made his professional debut on November 5, 2016. He won his first fight when his opponent, Stefan Slavchev, was disqualified for lifting Barnes into the air during the fourth round.
Challenging for a World Title
On August 18, 2018, Barnes got a huge chance to fight for the WBC world flyweight title against Cristofer Rosales. Barnes started strong, but Rosales was a powerful opponent. In the fourth round, Rosales landed a strong punch, and Barnes was knocked out.
Final Fight and Retirement
Barnes's last professional fight was on October 11, 2019, against Jay Harris. Barnes was knocked down in the third and fourth rounds. He couldn't continue after the fourth round, and Harris won by knockout. In November 2019, Paddy Barnes announced that he was retiring from professional boxing.
Marriage
Paddy Barnes is married to Mari Burns, and they have two daughters. They got married in July 2017. Barnes is also an Irish speaker and received a Silver Fáinne in 2019, which means he is good at speaking the Irish language.
See also
In Spanish: Patrick Barnes para niños
