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Barry McGuigan (born February 28, 1961 in Clones,
County Monaghan, Ireland), nicknamed The Clones
Cyclone, was a professional boxing|boxer who
became a world Featherweight champion, but whose
feat in the ring paled with what he was able to
accomplish outside of it.

McGuigan is a Catholic, and in a moment when
Catholics and Protestant Christianity|Christians
were in the middle of a deeply rooted conflict in
Northern Ireland, McGuigan and his Protestant
girlfriend got married. They dreamed of showing
Ireland that both factions of Christians live in
peace. McGuigan gained national hero status, and
during the days he was boxing, Irish people had a
popular saying: Leave the fighting to Barry.

McGuigan, who is the son of the late Pat McGuigan,
a famous singer in Ireland, started his
professional boxing career on May 10 1981, beating
Selwyn Bell by a knockout in two rounds in Dublin.
After another win, he suffered his first setback,
losing to Chris Eubank's brother, Peter Eubank by
a decision in eight rounds at Wembley, England. It
should be pointed out that McGuigan campaigned
during most of his career dividing his fights
between Northern Ireland, Ireland and England.  

After his first loss, McGuigan notched two more
wins, including one over Terry Pizzarro, and then
he was given a rematch with Eubank. The second
time around, McGuigan prevailed, by a knockout in
eight. 

In 1982, McGuigan won eight fights, seven by
knockout. One of the fights almost destroyed his
career and his life. He was faced on June 14 of
that year with Nigeria's Young Ali. McGuigan won
by a knockout in six rounds, and Ali fell into a
coma, from which he never recuperated, dying six
months later in his homeland. According to the
book The Ring Boxing The 20th Century, McGuigan
has declared that he wasn't sure he wanted to keep
on being a boxer after that fight.

But he did continue on boxing, and in 1983, he won
four fights, including his first trip to fight
outside Europe (when he beat Samuel Meck by a
knockout in six in Ontario, Canada), before
getting his first try at a title. On November 16,
Italy's Valerio Nati defended his European
Featherweight belt versus McGuigan in Belfast, and
McGuigan won the crown with a knockout in the
sixth round. He then became the number one
Featherweight challenger in the World Boxing
Association|WBA.

In 1984, he won five bouts, all by knockout. Among
the fighters he beat were former world title
challengers Jose Caba and Felipe Orozco. He also
beat fringe contender Paul DeVorce to keep his
chance at a Word Championship attempt alive.

In 1985, McGuigan met former world Featherweight
champion Juan Laporte and won by a decision in the
tenth round. Following one more win, he finally
got his world title try when the WBA world
featherweight champion Eusebio Pedroza came to
London to put his title on the line against
McGuigan. McGuigan became a world champion by
dropping Pedroza in round seven and winning a
unanimous fifteen round decision. McGuigan
instantly became a national hero for most people
in Ireland and most Irish people around the world.


During his time as world champion, McGuigan
married his protestant girlfriend which resulted
in further news coverage. He also engaged in
promotional deals such as the release of a video
game named Barry McGuigan Boxing. Later that year,
he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

McGuigan made his first defense against Bernard
Taylor, who was stopped in the ninth, and then
against Danilo Cabrera, who got knocked out in
fourteen rounds. This proved to be a controversial
stoppage: The fight was stopped after the
challenger bent over to pick up his mouthpiece
after losing it, a practice that is allowed in
many countries but not in Ireland. The challenger
did not know that, and the fight was stopped.
Although Cabrera's corner protested the outcome,
McGuigan remained the winner by a knockout. 

For his next defense, he went to Las Vegas in June
of 1986, where he faced the relatively unknown
Stevie Cruz from Texas in a fifteen round title
bout. McGuigan held a lead halfway through, but
suffered dehydration because of the extreme heat,
and wilted near the end, being dropped in rounds
ten and fifteen. He eventually lost a fifteen
round decision and the world belt. After the
fight, McGuigan required hospitalization because
of his dehydrated state.

After that fight he retired, partly due to the
death of his father in 1987. He used to say his
father was his biggest inspiration and after the
passing away of his father, he apparently felt
there was no more reason to keep on boxing.
However, he returned to the ring between 1988 and
1989, beating former world title challengers Nicky
Perez and Francisco Tomas Da Cruz before losing to
future challenger Jim McDonald by a knockout in
four rounds. After that fight, he retired
permanently from boxing.

McGuigan currently lives in London with his wife
and children, and works as a boxing commentator
for the BBC. He has also tried a hand at acting
and was a star in the movie Malicious Intent in
2000. He has a music band, of which the famous
Irish actor, Adrian Dunbarr is also a member. He
has had two biographical books written about him. 

His record was of 32 wins and 3 losses, with 26
wins by the way of knockout.

In January 2005, McGuigan was elected into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame.

start box
succession box|title=BBC Sports Personality of the
Year|before=Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
|after=Nigel Mansell|years=1985
end box