Wayne McCullough facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wayne McCullough
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Pocket Rocket
Rated at	Bantamweight Super-bantamweight Featherweight
Height	5 ft 7 in
Reach	66 in
Nationality	Irish British American (after 2005)
Born	(1970-07-07) 7 July 1970 (age 55) Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	34
Wins	27
Wins by KO	18
Losses	7
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Olympic Games Representing  Ireland Silver 1992 Barcelona Bantamweight Commonwealth Games Representing  Northern Ireland Gold 1990 Auckland Flyweight

Wayne Pocket Rocket McCullough

Wayne McCullough, also known as "Pocket Rocket," is a famous boxer from Northern Ireland. He was born Wayne William McCullough on July 7, 1970. He boxed professionally from 1993 to 2008.

Wayne held the WBC bantamweight title from 1995 to 1997. He was the first boxer from Northern Ireland to win this important championship. He also challenged for other world titles six times.

Before turning professional, Wayne was a very successful amateur boxer. He won a silver medal for Ireland at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He also won a gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, representing Northern Ireland.

McCullough was known for his tough, attacking style. He was also famous for his "chin," meaning he was very hard to knock down. He fought two of boxing's strongest punchers, Naseem Hamed and Érik Morales. He went the full distance in both fights, showing his incredible toughness. He was never knocked down in his entire professional career.

Wayne's Amateur Boxing Career

Wayne McCullough had an amazing amateur boxing career. He won 319 fights and only lost 11. More than 100 of his wins were by knockout.

When he was 18, he was chosen to represent Ireland at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He was the youngest member of the team and carried the Irish flag. Later, he won a silver medal for Ireland at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Representing Northern Ireland, he won a gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. He also carried the Northern Ireland flag at the closing ceremony. During his medal ceremony, there was a problem with the sound system. The official in charge, Bob Gibson, sang "Danny Boy" himself because the song couldn't be played. In 1990, Wayne also won a bronze medal at the World Cup in Mumbai, India. He is Ireland's only World Cup boxing medalist.

1988 Olympic Games

Wayne represented Ireland at the Light Flyweight class in the Seoul Olympics.

• He had a bye in the first round.
• He defeated Fred Mutuweta from Uganda on points.
• He lost to Scotty Olson from Canada on points.

1990 Commonwealth Games

Wayne represented Northern Ireland at the Flyweight class and won gold in the Auckland Commonwealth Games.

• He defeated Benjamin Mwangata from Tanzania on points.
• He defeated Maurice Maina from Kenya on points.
• He defeated Nokuthula Tshabangu from Zimbabwe on points.

1992 Olympic Games

Wayne represented Ireland at the Bantamweight class and won silver in the Barcelona Olympic Games.

• He defeated Fred Mutuweta from Uganda on points.
• He defeated Ahmed Abbood from Iraq on points.
• He defeated Mohammed Sabo from Nigeria on points.
• He defeated Gwang-Sik Li from North Korea on points.
• He lost to Joel Casamayor from Cuba on points.

Wayne's Professional Boxing Career

In 1993, Wayne moved to Las Vegas to train with famous coach Eddie Futch. Eddie agreed to train him after seeing him at the Olympics. Wayne always fought in neutral colors, and no national anthems were played at his fights. This meant he had supporters from both Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. Within a year of becoming a professional, he won the North American Boxing Federation title.

On July 30, 1995, less than two and a half years after his first professional fight, Wayne won the WBC championship. He beat the champion Yasuei Yakushiji in Japan. This made him Ireland's first ever WBC world champion. He was also the first fighter from Ireland or the UK to travel to Japan and win a boxing belt. He defended his title twice. Then, he moved up in weight to challenge for another WBC title, but he lost a very close fight.

Wayne also fought against famous champions like Naseem Hamed in 1998 and Erik Morales in 1999. These were exciting fights. In both matches, Wayne managed to go the full distance, even though his opponents had a long history of knocking out their challengers. Morales later said that Wayne gave him one of the toughest fights of his career.

In October 2000, Wayne was supposed to fight in his hometown of Belfast. However, just two days before the fight, doctors told him he had a cyst near his brain. They said he might not be able to fight again. Wayne went to Las Vegas for more tests. Doctors at UCLA found that the cyst was not on his brain but in a space between his brain and skull. They said he could continue his boxing career.

Even so, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) did not want to give him a license to fight. After a big public effort, he finally got his license back in the UK. He fought again in January 2002. He had some wins but also lost to Scott Harrison and Óscar Larios. Many people believe he should have won his first fight against Larios.

In August 2005, Wayne became the first WBC World Ambassador for Peace and Goodwill in Sports. In September 2005, he became a citizen of the United States. In November 2005, he released his autobiography, Pocket Rocket: Don't Quit. The book was very popular.

In 2007, Wayne joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to help promote Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Today, he trains fighters in both boxing and MMA. He is also setting up his own charity called IHOW.

McCullough vs. Martínez Fight

In 2007, Wayne was set to fight Spain's Kiko Martínez in Belfast. Martínez had just won the European super bantamweight title. The fight was planned for December 1, 2007, at the King's Hall. It was a non-title fight.

Wayne had not fought for over two years, and the Kings Hall was completely sold out. On the day before the fight, there was a problem during the weigh-in. Wayne weighed in at the agreed weight. However, Martínez was too heavy and could not lose the extra weight. The fight was then canceled by the British Boxing Board of Control. Wayne was very disappointed, saying he was ready to fight and win.

Retirement from Boxing

On June 20, 2008, Wayne McCullough fought Juan Ruiz in the Cayman Islands. This was his first fight in three years. He lost the fight after six rounds. Even though he was ahead on the judges' scorecards, he told his corner he could not continue due to an injury. After the fight, Wayne took the microphone and said this might be his last fight. He thanked everyone for coming and expressed his disappointment.

Wayne's Personal Life

Wayne McCullough married Cheryl Rennie, who is also from Belfast, in May 1993.

In 1998, their daughter Wynona was born in Las Vegas. She uses the stage name Wy Mac. She is becoming well-known as a singer, songwriter, and content creator.

In May 2004, Wayne officially changed his name by deed poll.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

In Spanish: Wayne McCullough para niños

• List of Irish sportspeople