Boxer Barry McGuigan: 'I pushed myself hard to become the best'

“When I look at this photo, I always feel incredibly moved as it not only represents a defining moment in my career, it has a deep historical significance too. 

It was 1985, just before I took the featherweight world title from Panamanian boxer Eusebio Pedroza in a gruelling fight at Queens Park Rangers football ground in London.

This was the first time that the BBC had broadcast a live boxing match. This photo was taken just before the fight when my father, the singer Pat McGuigan (holding the microphone) sang Danny Boy in front of 200 million viewers worldwide. To this day, people still talk about his spine-tingling performance. 

The picture was taken at the height of The Troubles, and although I was representing Great Britain, we’d wanted to unify our fellow Irishmen who were watching. That’s why my dad didn’t sing the British national anthem or anything overtly Republican. Instead he chose Danny Boy, as it’s an old Irish favourite, and as I heard the deafening applause around me, it was difficult not to feel choked.

I grew up in Clones, a small town in County Monaghan, which is in the Republic but on the border of Northern Ireland. My family was Catholic but we didn’t want to get too involved in politics. My wife Sandra is Protestant and I had no interest in sectarianism. I just craved peace for my country, which is why the shorts I wore for that fight were in the colours of the United Nations Flag of Peace, and had a white dove on them. 

Anyone who lived in Ireland at that time will tell you what a bleak and destructive period it was. I wanted to provide a distraction and to bring the divided communities together.I’d started boxing as a young boy and although my parents hadn’t been keen on me becoming a professional boxer, they could see I had real talent – and my dad always said I should do what I loved. Over the years he drummed into me the importance of hard work and passion.

I felt the same way about boxing as Dad did about singing, and I pushed myself hard to become the best. 

After turning professional in 1981, I’d gone on to win the British and the European featherweight titles, but the fight against Pedroza was pivotal because he’d retained the world title for seven years and was the longest reigning champion for a century. In my heart I believed I was good enough to beat him but I had to focus on the fight.

As soon as we got into the ring, instinct took over and it was an incredibly intense fight. I almost took him out in the seventh and ninth rounds, before finally beating him in the fifteenth. I was exhausted afterwards but elated, too, as the streets of London seemed to be bursting with cheering fans. It really was one of the most magical moments of my life, and I felt blessed to have my dad there alongside me.

Dad died suddenly from cancer in 1987. He was only 52. I was grief-stricken as he’d always been there by my side. Not long after,I decided to retire from professional boxing, although to this day I remain heavily involved in the sport. 

I am now an international boxing commentator and I run my own training company along with two of my three sons. Among others, we’re working with the up-and-coming pro Carl Frampton. I’m still as passionate about the sport as I ever was and

I think I’ve instilled my determination and work ethic into my children, too. My daughter, an actress, loves what she does too, and I’m glad that Dad’s performing genes continue.

It’s now almost 30 years since this photo was taken and so much has changed, particularly in Ireland. But  for me it encapsulates some timeless sentiments: hope, passion and unity – things I still hold dear today.”

For more about Barry, see barrymcguigan.com.