Famous Boxers from Ireland

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Updated June 15, 2019 94.4K views52 items

List of famous boxers from Ireland, listed alphabetically with photos of the boxers when available. Ireland has produced some very talented boxers over the years, including heavyweights, light heavyweights, cruiserweights, featherweights and flyweights. These are some of the best Irish boxers to ever live, so if you're a native of Ireland and are aspiring to box professionally then these people should be your idols. If you're searching for a particular popular boxer from Ireland then you can use the "search" box to find who you're looking for.

List contains boxers like Steve Collins and Derek Roche.

This list answers the questions, "Who are the greatest Irish boxers?" and "Which boxers are from Ireland?"

You can click on the names of these legendary boxers of Ireland in order to get more information about each one. If you box or just love the sport then use this list of talented Irish boxers to find some new athletes to watch.
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  • Jimmy McLarnin

    Jimmy McLarnin

    Dec. at 96 (1907-2004)
    • Birthplace: Hillsborough, United Kingdom
    • Nationality: Canada, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom
    • Weight Division: Welterweight
    James Archibald McLarnin (19 December 1907 – 28 October 2004) was an Irish-Canadian professional boxer who became a two-time welterweight world champion and an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee. McLarnin has been referred to as the greatest Irish boxer of all time. BoxRec ranks McLarnin as the 11th best pound-for-pound fighter of all-time, the second best Canadian boxer of all time after Sam Langford, and the third greatest welterweight of all time.
  • James J. Braddock

    James J. Braddock

    Dec. at 69 (1905-1974)
    • Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
    • Nationality: Republic of Ireland, United States of America
    • Weight Division: Heavyweight
    James Walter Braddock (June 8, 1905 – November 29, 1974) was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937.Fighting under the name James J. Braddock (ostensibly to follow the pattern set by two prior world boxing champions, James J. Corbett and James J. Jeffries), Braddock was known for his spoiling, counterpunching style, powerful right hand and his iron chin. He had lost several bouts due to chronic hand injuries and was forced to work on the docks and collect social assistance to feed his family during the Great Depression. He made a comeback, and in 1935 he fought Max Baer for the heavyweight title and won. For this unlikely feat he was given the nickname "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon. Braddock was managed by Joe Gould.
  • Micky Ward

    Micky Ward

    Age: 57
    • Birthplace: Lowell, USA, Massachusetts
    • Nationality: Republic of Ireland, United States of America
    • Weight Division: Light welterweight
    George Michael Ward Jr. (born October 4, 1965), often known by his nickname of "Irish" Micky Ward, is an Irish-American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held the WBU light welterweight title in 2000. Ward is widely known for his trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti, two of which received Fight of the Year awards by The Ring magazine, as well as his relentless pressure fighting style. Ward was portrayed by Mark Wahlberg in the 2010 film The Fighter, which was based on his early career.
  • Wayne McCullough
    • Birthplace: Belfast, United Kingdom
    • Nationality: Republic of Ireland, United States of America, United Kingdom
    • Weight Division: Bantamweight
    Wayne Pocket Rocket McCullough (born Wayne William McCullough; 7 July 1970) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held the WBC bantamweight title from 1995 to 1997, and challenged six times for world titles at super-bantamweight and featherweight. As an amateur, McCullough represented Ireland at the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning a bantamweight silver medal. He also won flyweight gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, representing Northern Ireland. In addition to McCullough's dogged, relentless attacking style, he was renowned for his durable chin, having fought two of boxing's biggest punchers in Naseem Hamed and Érik Morales, and going the full distance with both of them. During his bout with Morales in 1999, HBO commentator Larry Merchant joked, "If you look in the dictionary, under 'Tough Irishman', you'll find a picture of Wayne McCullough". McCullough was never once knocked down in his professional career. He also stopped the late Arturo Gatti as an amateur.
  • Jimmy Elliott

    Jimmy Elliott

    Dec. at 45 (1838-1883)
    • Birthplace: Athlone, Republic of Ireland
    • Nationality: Republic of Ireland, United States of America
    For the English footballer of the same name, see Jimmy Elliott (footballer)Jimmy Elliot (1838, Athlone, Ireland – March 1, 1883) was an Irish-American boxer who was Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1865 to 1868. On December 12, 1870 Elliott was arrested and convicted of highway robbery and assault with intent to kill. He was sentenced to sixteen years and ten months at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. He was released early in the spring of 1879 due to an eye disease. On March 1, 1883, a gambler by the name of Jere Dunn shot Elliot in a Chicago saloon. He died shortly after.
  • Mike McTigue

    Mike McTigue

    Dec. at 73 (1892-1966)
    • Birthplace: County Clare, Republic of Ireland
    • Nationality: Republic of Ireland
    "Bold" Mike McTigue (November 26, 1892 – August 12, 1966) was the light heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1923 to 1925.