bollox wrote:This thread was bumped after 8 years?
I remember the hoopla surrounding a proposed fight with Azumah Nelson was huge in the mid 80's. There was a lot of talk and dithering around, then Barry lost to Cruz which effectively killed the fight. The Americans loved Barry that's for sure, and they hadn't really taken to Nelson despite his achievements. In their analyses a lot of the US boxing press had Barry either outpointing Nelson or stopping him with a left hook to the body
I reckon Nelson would have been a bit too good for McGuigan although it would have been a good scrap. At the time I kept thinking that McGuigan's management didn't seem to go out of their way to make the fight happen. Maybe others remember things a bit differently?
As ever it was a fight that they wanted to hype up to the max. McGuigan's defeat meant that the train didn't get out of the station.
Barry never really got his career back on track due to injuries and manager problems.
British boxing could do with a McGuigan right now.
Why and why did boxers change from being respectful gents like Barry, Frank Bruno, Pat Cowdell, Maurice Hope (guys your nan would cheer for) and become big mouthed braggarts?
Since the heat was generally accepted as the reason for the loss a Nelson fight would and probably should still have gone ahead
I watched Barry V Jim McDonnell on tv in about 89 or 90 and it was a bit sad to see
I have no definitive answer why they became loud mouths. I also prefer my boxers to be fairly quiet and respectful outside the ring. It always helps dispel the myth about boxers being neanderthals who mug grannies in their spare time
Dead man's eyes. This amazing image of Barry before the start of his disastrous 15th round against Steve Cruz was captured by Chris Smith of the Sunday Times. Look at the stupid Panamanian cornerman pinching Barry's ears.
My God! I'm not a Trainer, but if I see my fighter's Eyes looking like THAT, there is NO way he's going out for the Fifteenth! His Eyes are gone, they are open but its not registering what he's seeing or hearing!
Seeing that image, its lucky Barry was not severely hurt!
The man was a fighting dervish. Seeing a McGuigan like that was as shocking as ever seeing a Joe Calzaghe like that......these men are known for their stamina and ability to have other fighters gasping for air while they are just going into second gear.
bollox wrote:Since the heat was generally accepted as the reason for the loss a Nelson fight would and probably should still have gone ahead
I watched Barry V Jim McDonnell on tv in about 89 or 90 and it was a bit sad to see
I have no definitive answer why they became loud mouths. I also prefer my boxers to be fairly quiet and respectful outside the ring. It always helps dispel the myth about boxers being neanderthals who mug grannies in their spare time
What they don't get is that the idiots they are trying to impress will follow them anyway. If they carry themselves with a bit of dignity they can bring in the fringe sports fans too. My nans, mum, sisters, aunts, wife, aren't sports fans but they used to like boxing when it was on TV. And they could name 9-10 active boxers at any time.
bennie wrote:Barry's son, Shane, is quite a tasty amateur boxer. You can youtube some of Shane's fights.
I remember being asked to look after one of McGuigan's sons at the Hamed/Ingle fight. I can't remember which one it was but he was a good lad and knew his boxing and gave me some inside info
Deno1986 wrote:People should keep on eye out for another Irish boxer, Carl Frampton, who is managed by McGuigan. He is very similar to McGuigans style but could be better in my opinion.
Frampton looks a real fighter.
I reckon he will go far.
to me barry just didnt have the physical appearance to actually combat against the better fighters of the division,he looked very scrawny,his biceps were thin and he seemed to look crunched over in his stance,he still fared pretty well but not as an all time great :)
McGuigan was - and still is - built like a car-park bollard. Scrawny is the last word I would use to describe him, and to answer your earlier, equally ridiculous post, a fired-up, superbly conditioned Juan Laporte, the great Eusebio Pedroza and the unbeaten Bernard Taylor were not worthy opponents?
Granberry, you are such a c unt.
Yeah, his hands are huge for a small guy (I have shaken hands with him), his shoulders very broad too. They cast everyone at the IBHOF and his fists are comparable with much bigger guys.
Does anyone think that the death of Young Ali affected him long-term with regards to how aggressive he was in the ring? He said himself it took a long time to deal with it.
He was good, but, how come he is in the hall of fame and not Ernesto Marcel?
If McGuigan is in the hall, these guys should be in too:
Paddy DeMarco
Rodolfo "Gato" Gonzalez
Esteban De Jesus
Tommy Yarosz
Johnny Saxton
Cocoa Kid
Ralph Dupas
Del Flanagan
benitezfan wrote:to me barry just didnt have the physical appearance to actually combat against the better fighters of the division,he looked very scrawny,his biceps were thin and he seemed to look crunched over in his stance,he still fared pretty well but not as an all time great :)
Barry McGuigan had hands like shovels and huge shoulder. At 5'5" and 126 he was far from scrawny. He was incredibly strong and had as good a chin as any Featherweight in history.
Have you ever met him and shaken hands with him? I have, twice, back when he was champion and after the Collins v Benn fight.
As a kid I will never forget watching his fights and feeling the electricity in the moments prior to the introductions as his father Pat would unite Protestants and Catholics as they would all join in his leading them in the Irish song Danny Boy.
