Barry McGuigan Biography

Barry McGuigan won eight fights in 1982, seven of them by knockout. One of the bouts nearly cost him his job and his life. On June 14, 1982, he was pitted against Nigerian Young Ali. McGuigan won by knockout in six rounds, and Ali went into a coma from which he never awoke, dying in his country six months later. According to the book The Ring Boxing The 20th Century, McGuigan stated that after that bout, he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue as a boxer. He did, however, continue fighting, winning four fights in 1983, including his first trip outside of Europe, before gaining his first shot at a title. Valerio Nati of Italy defended his European Featherweight title against McGuigan in Belfast on November 16, and McGuigan won by knockout in the sixth round. He went on to become the World Boxing Association's number one Featherweight challenger. He won five fights in 1984, all by knockout. Former world championship contenders Jose Caba and Felipe Orozco were among the boxers he defeated. He also defeated Paul DeVorce, a distant second-place finisher, to keep his World Championship hopes alive. McGuigan faced former world Featherweight champion, Juan Laporte, in 1985 and won a tenth-round decision. Following another victory, he eventually secured his world championship shot when Eusebio Pedroza, the WBA world featherweight champion, arrived in London to defend his title against McGuigan. McGuigan won the world title after knocking out Pedroza in round seven and by a unanimous decision in the fifteenth round. McGuigan became a national star almost immediately, landing promotional partnerships such as Barry McGuigan Boxing, a critically acclaimed video game (given a Sizzler! in Zzap64). He was selected BBC Sports Personality of the Year later that year. McGuigan's first defense was against Bernard Taylor, who was stopped in the ninth round, and his second defense was against Danilo Cabrera, who was knocked out in fourteen rounds. The bout was stopped after the challenger leaned over to pick up his mouthpiece after losing it, which is legal in many nations but not in Ireland. Cabrera was completely unaware of this, therefore the fight was called off. Despite Cabrera's corner's protests, McGuigan was declared the winner via knockout. In June of 1986, he traveled to Las Vegas for his next defense, when he faced the relatively unknown Stevie Cruz of Texas in a fifteen-round title fight. McGuigan was in the lead halfway through, but exhaustion from the intense heat caused him to wilt at the finish, and he was eliminated in rounds ten and fifteen. He finally lost the world title and a fifteen-round decision. McGuigan had to go to the hospital after the bout because he was dehydrated. He resigned after the battle, owing in part to the loss of his father in 1987. He used to remark that his father was his biggest inspiration and that after his death, he didn't see the point in continuing to box. Between 1988 and 1989, he returned to the ring, defeating past world championship candidates Nicky Perez and Francisco Tomas Da Cruz before losing by technical knockout in four rounds to future challenger Jim McDonnell (Cuts). After that bout, he announced his retirement from boxing. He hosted a BBC1 conversation program in the 1980s. His record was 32 wins and three defeats, with 26 knockout victories. McGuigan was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in January 2005.

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