BoxRec

I never ever figured out why he was sent to vegas to fight when he could have had a blockbuster with azumah nelson,he wouldn't have won but they could have sold out croke park,a big football ground or the then Lansdowne road,it would have been a massive fight over here,did eastwood really not want to put him in with nelson??

Good question, especially as I've just finished reading Barry's half-decent, very honest book.

Seems as if Cruz was made purely for the money and to crack America, McGuigan's fights (even the non-title bouts) from Europe had sold well over there already, and Eastwood believed that all that was required was a decent win, from a US venue and at a better prime-time slot to land the really huge marquee bouts. They were certainly ambitious!

Interestingly, when you read the book they were ally never that bothered about Nelson either financially or in terms of what he delivered in terms of legacy. Beating Pedroza for the WBA tiltle was (in their opinion) the real test and had made them #1 in terms of profile and choices.

Of course, Cruz shot the whole, grand strategy down in flames and the rest is history.

Biggest waste of a career ever imo.Barry had it all,the charisma,the looks, the throwback to the 1900s era of fighting Irish men right down to the moustache,the ferocious fighting style,the back story of the troubles,the singing father.........the only thing he didn't have was a human being or genius for a boxing manager....I mean it fitted in with the superman Pioneer throwback to have a rumble midday outdoors in the Vegas desert but it was insane,plus a useless corner with no ice and Eastwood in it....and still Barry very very nearly won on his worst night......

If mcguigan had won and went on to superfights with Nelson,Chavez,fenech,esparragoza and camacho,lol if he had won those and retired young he may have through mystique alone have gone down as a top 5 all time great!!!!!!

don't think barry would be in to good a shape after one of these fights let alone face another,are you trying to assasinate him!!!,he might have beaten fenech,but I think he could have gone out with a mega fight against nelson,mega fight over here at any rate,can`t believe eastwood didn't make an attempt to get the fight with the money it would make,he was a bookie after all,maybe barry didn't fancy it,as an intelligent fellow facing a prime nelson probably didn't appeal to much

tommo100 wrote:don't think barry would be in to good a shape after one of these fights let alone face another,are you trying to assasinate him!!!,he might have beaten fenech,but I think he could have gone out with a mega fight against nelson,mega fight over here at any rate,can`t believe eastwood didn't make an attempt to get the fight with the money it would make,he was a bookie after all,maybe barry didn't fancy it,as an intelligent fellow facing a prime nelson probably didn't appeal to much

I've heard Barry concede that Nelson would have been a bridge too far.

McGuigan had a 103 Degree fever and Full Blown Flu going into the Cruz Fight.
He would've stopped Cruz within 8 rounds had he fought in a healthy condition,just watch the fights where he overpowers guys like The Legendary "Eusubio Pedroza" and the 36-0 Sensation,"Bernard Taylor". McGuigan against Azumah Nelson would've gone 15 rounds and would've been one of the all time great single clashes and/or trilogies as well,especially also if Barry's Dad hadnt passed away. The Pre-Fight Danny Boy song gave Barry tremendous resiliance and mysteriously phenomenal vitality. Obviously,It Didnt hurt that Barry's Dad was such a gifted Vocalist.

The win against Taylor seems to be the one that McGuigan rated very highly himself and gave him a lot of satisfaction. He's very honest that the guy was a deadly serious threat and had the edge in technique, speed and that having to defend against him within 90 days was very far from ideal...especially with all the hype and commitments he faced after the Pedroza fight. The other fight he covers extensively was against Laporte, who'd been a champ himself, and he felt that was a critical win.

You certainly get the sense that post-Cruz he always had this nagging doubt that something was missing both mentally and physically.......he was disappointed with the Da Cruz and Miranda wins and straight after the McDonnell fight he called time on his career in the changing room.

Being 'up for it' was clearly a big part of McGuigan's success; he needed (and liked) to lock himself away and get right into his sparring, running and living the life in his Bangor bolt-hole. After Cruz he really struggled to get all of that back.

Nelson would've done him in style.

polecateddy wrote:

tommo100 wrote:don't think barry would be in to good a shape after one of these fights let alone face another,are you trying to assasinate him!!!,he might have beaten fenech,but I think he could have gone out with a mega fight against nelson,mega fight over here at any rate,can`t believe eastwood didn't make an attempt to get the fight with the money it would make,he was a bookie after all,maybe barry didn't fancy it,as an intelligent fellow facing a prime nelson probably didn't appeal to much

I've heard Barry concede that Nelson would have been a bridge too far.

like the guy says, Barry had his head screwed on

Bodyshot3 wrote:The win against Taylor seems to be the one that McGuigan rated very highly himself and gave him a lot of satisfaction. He's very honest that the guy was a deadly serious threat and had the edge in technique, speed and that having to defend against him within 90 days was very far from ideal...especially with all the hype and commitments he faced after the Pedroza fight. The other fight he covers extensively was against Laporte, who'd been a champ himself, and he felt that was a critical win.

mugabi wrote:If mcguigan had won and went on to superfights with Nelson,Chavez,fenech,esparragoza and camacho,lol if he had won those and retired young he may have through mystique alone have gone down as a top 5 all time great!!!!!!

Calm down Mugabi

barry has also said that being a champion was for him 100 times harder than being a challenger - that's something to consider for every high level career

@misterpunch.....definitely, that very much comes through in the book. After Pedroza his time was often not his own because he was in so much demand and Eastwood further fuelled that pressure by building-up 'brand McGuigan.'

Barry himself does not come across as big-headed or a seeker of the celebrity lifestyle; he enjoys the perks but sounds very grounded indeed. There's also the definite sense that he was often worried that he could not concentrate on his boxing like he had when he was a challenger because he was effectively public property in both the UK and the Republic. There must be have been some serious pressure on those shoulders!