Dave Magill

Name: Dave Magill
Hometown: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Birthplace: Cairncastle, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Died: 1942-02-08 (Age:47)
Height: 180cm
Pro Boxer: Record

Acknowledgements to Fred Heatley and Miles Templeton for the fight record.

Davy Magill was born in Cairncastle, Larne, County Antrim, Ireland on 31 December 1894, the second of seven sons and five daughters. All of the sons became policemen and four of them boxed. The youngest of the seven, Jim, becoming Ireland's only three times ABA champion and one of the greatest amateur middleweights of international boxing in the 1930s. Davy had initially come to prominence as a runner and it wasn't until he reached the age of 25 that he first entered the ring in January 1920, winning the heavyweight championship of the RIC (the Irish police force of the time) in 1921.

The year 1923 saw him fight for three titles - the Light-heavyweight title of the British Empire against Jack Bloomfield in May, the Irish Heavyweight title against Bartley Madden in June, the Irish Light-heavyweight title against Boy McCormick in August; losing the former but winning both Irish titles. A six month stint in the USA saw him chalk up victories in Madison Square Gardens over Tom Maxted and Leo Gates. A defeat by Ad Stone in February 1924 spelt the end of his American dream and the chance of meeting Gene Tunney. He returned to Ireland and remained a big draw in the boxing rings of Belfast, Dublin and in Liverpool, Glasgow and London until he announced his retirement in June 1931 as undefeated Irish champion. A comeback in 1935 at the advanced age of 40 had mixed results but his last bout September 1936 saw him leave the ring on a winning note with a third round ko.

His ring career over, Davy joined the Merchant Navy. In 1942 his ship the Ocean Venture was torpedoed by a German U boat off the coast of Virginia and Davy along with 28 of the crew were lost.

From "The Magills of the Meetinghouse" author Paul Magill, ISBN 978-0-9566885-0-7 Shanway Press 2010 [email protected]