This was where it all began for me. The first fight i watched. I remember the red and white canopy above the ring, the noise of the crowd, Pat Mcguigan singing Danny boy, everything about the fight just completely captivated me. Im still a massive boxing fan now in 2017, but this was where it started. Thank you Barry.
same as you my friend one of the first fights I watched and I'm 53 now (2024) this fight with the build up images and sounds and McGuigan"s victory was an incredible experience and was one of the first memories to spark my love for for Boxing
Wow! First time iv'e watched since that night as a kid. It's exactly how i remembered. Amazing fighters, amazing crowd and great commentary from Harry Carpenter. Makes me feel privileged to have been around back in olden days.
Back when we could watch world championship boxing live on television for free. I loved those big night fights in the 1980’s. I’m a huge nostalgia addict anyway!!
McGuigan was one of the best featherweight fighters ever. A wonderful, perpetual motion pressure fighter whose relentless work rate, combined with devastating body shots wore down rugged, durable opponents. A shame the trip to Las Vegas ruined him. Went to this fight as a 14 year old with my dad, brother and two friends. A glorious night filled with wonderful memories and made us all proud to be there supporting a Celt.
A great fight and a great commentator in Harry Carpenter. He knew when to keep his mouth shut and didn't feel the need to waffle none stop bollocks for the entire fight. Modern day commentators could learn a lot from Harry.
Absolutely sir, I couldn't agree more! Harry & Reg Gutteridge were first class commentators who the knew the sport & how to broadcast accuratly & imformativley without Bias!!!😊👍 Unlike the current Clowns🤡 Commentary team on sky sports who often make you think you're watching a totally different contest!?!?🤔🤨🧐🙄🥊
Live boxing on BBC and ITV was a great memory of my growing up, oh this makes me feel old. Harry Carpenter on BBC and Reg Gutteridge on ITV, good memories.
Beautiful fight. Very inspiring. I love English announcers. I saw the fight shortly after my mother passed away. It has a lot of symbolism to me. Both fighters should be commended. I love Barry's style, very classical, hard to hit. I know he dedicated this fight to a West African fighter who he accidentally killed in the ring.
A Great fight! Oh i remember it well back on National TV back home in England.You were always on the end of your seat while watching a Barry McGuigan fight. Pedroza.......Living legend and i n my book one of the best Feathers ever to put on a pare of Boxing Gloves!, Outstanding fighter and Champion
I was young and didn't follow boxing at the time so I'm watching some of the classics for the first time and this one is a beauty. The atmosphere and the fight itself is incredible. Pedroza was a great one but he was 2nd best on this night.
Barry Mcguigan was the first time that I knew that the bridge could be repaired between the Irish people. There were people filled with such hatred who would go to the Kings Hall and cheer him on, whilst leaving their anger at the door, and that was the proof that there could be a positive outcome. Proof that sport is so much more than just sport.
Anyone who lived in Belfast through the troubles or lived in London with the Irish of mixed religious faith would know that wasn't true. It was a real eye opener for someone from England and I've never forgot it.
@Julia Horwood I lived in Belfast in the midst of the troubles in 1980-81. The situation was as ridiculous there as it was in London. In Belfast they'd come through different turnstiles to get to the town centre and then go to at least one nightclub I seem to recall, "King Arthur's" (now theres a name to conjure with, us being from the Catholic side too) and they all got on just fine. Heavens sake even the army guys were in there. No bother. Same in London, they'd all congregate together because they were "irish". North & South, protestants and Catholics. Thick as thieves, the hypocrisy was laughable. To top it all, to show how fraudulent the whole charade was, after 800 years of struggle to be independant, Ireland gave it all up to be ruled by the Germans instead. The same lot all sides (North/South, protestants and Cathlics) laid down their lives to prevent being conquered by. And they were correct it that opposition given the events of recent years with the EU. Iremavd most certainly isnt Ireland any more. Irish political and religious divides are the biggest illusion going and one has to be really nuts to see it any other way. It's a great example of just how a entire people can be constantly manipulated by political and religious leaders with an agenda all of their own.
Respect to both these men. Brave, determined warriors, who dug deep into their souls for this fight, no one could ask more, from either of them. Nuff said.
The greatest night in Irish Sport. The relentless pursuit of Pedroza for 15 rounds showed the drive and passion it takes to be a champion. I can't believe its 28 years ago. I can remember it like yesterday.
I remember the fight as if it was yesterday too. I was 11. Am I right to think it was like,mid-week, when they fought, in contrast to the more fan friendly Saturday night? Best wishes either way
Everyone I watched this fight live with is dead...My dad, brother Phil, cousin Ray, and now Pedroza is with them. RIP to all. My cousin Ray fought to a draw with the great Lauro Salas, who was once World Lightweight Champ.
It was always a very special occasion whenever a fighter from these islands won a world title,because it happened so rarely back in the day.And it was even more special when it came against a living legend like Pedroza.
Yes what do we have now ? Verbal diarrehea afflicted morons or shrill females on every commentary. .none trained...none understanding less is more...and dont say anything unlesd it adds to the picture....and let the picture and action speak for itself...
I was at my girlfriends house and her family didn't even know this fight was on ( her dad was a piano teacher). My girlfriend persuaded them to put it on and they went to bed after 2 rounds saying it was too noisy!
yes i would say he did . Hatton had the biggest travelling fan base of any boxer! he was the greatest ever boxer when it came to a fan base did Hatton. But Barry McGuigan was the then Hatton at this time.
Karl Convey can't compare hatton an Barry... all of Barry's fights were shown on free to air tv. all of hattons fights were on ppv. Barry couldn't lase hattons boots boxing wise... let's be honest now... if hatton vs Kostas was free to air it would've been the most viewed sporting event ever.
yes i would agree with that. I'm just comparing there fan base. Barry had a Big fan base for his time that s all. But i think Barry was a better polished boxer than Hatton was. Hatton was just a body punching slugger.
Felt like they fought 20 rounds! Fighting at this pace for 15 rounds is unbelievable. They don't fight at this pace nowadays for 12! What amazing, tough, skilful fighters these guys were. Remember watching this live. Still in my top 10 fights of all time.
McGuigan would have been an all-time great if he hadn't been made to fight Steve Cruz in 120 degree heat. It was criminal, and he was lucky he didn't die.
I still don't understand why somebody thought it was a good idea to put a lily white skinned Irishman in a boxing ring with a Mexican Texan in the middle of the desert.
Always thought the same thing myself. He would have been champion for a lot longer if that fight hadn’t taken place at that time of day. Or at that venue.
I am watching this for the 100th time and I think I see a young Johnny Owen jump into the ring after the fight. I know lots of young Brits look a like but Johnny had unique ears.
Tremendous fight. I scored it 148-135. Resounding victory for McGuigan. I don't think I have ever seen a win so well earned. But some chin and engine Pedroza had! How this went fifteen full rounds. Unbelievable. 👏 Amazing atmosphere as well.
i remember watching this fight on wide world of sports on a saturday, what a fight. my dad had left to take care of some errands, man he missed a great fight.
What a fabulous fight. Unlike other fighters, McGuigan did not take off running. He fought to the very end. I love Irish and English fans. I still get emotional when he gets on the shoulders of his trainers. Good guy too. So was Pedroza, tough Panamanian.
Two brave and skilled Champions working their craft. For all its ills, it is the skill exhibited by men like these that makes it "the sweet science" and separates and elevates Boxing from all others...
Extraordinario boxeador Eusebio .ya tenia años así y todo le a dado una lección de boxeo en todos los sentidos la juventud de barrí y su potente pegada se termina imponiendo es normal el panameño ya esta de vuelta hay que reconocer que fue un fuera de serie .DEP
Pedroza described as an ageing champion at 29 here. Would only be just about getting started in todays fight game. Great fight. Commentators curse in round 7 was great
My seat was in the stand but somehow I got down on to the pitch and watched it up close from one of the aisles. It was truly awesome, phenomenal evry blow every punch. It was as if 40,000 of us were fighting Petrova, To see up close the punishment both men meeted out and endured was mind boggling. Barry trained in bangor and stayed a few hundred yards down the road from me and I used to see him out running in the morning, and I say hi Barry and he would reply 'howya doin'.
I really thought he was going to be one of the great ones in boxing history.....But it never happened. Don't get me wrong he had a good career but he should have been greater than what he was. He was never the same after the Cruz, a fight which he was clearly leading until he succumbed to the heat. Something must have broke inside him because he was never the same again....
That night? Barry knew it was “his one chance” he fought like a crazy, crazy wild lion. That said, Petrozavodsk was a mighty fine, one of the best champions. Harry Carpenter? Probably best commentator in history of boxing.
This is a famous night for British boxing. Great, great win for Barry over an accomplished yet very dirty fighter. I was stoked he whipped Pedroza like he did.
I love his wife and son in the ring. This was during time of troubles between the English and Irish. She was actually a Protestant, and he was a Catholic. That was considered a mixed-marriage at the time.
Barry McGuigan is the greatest Irish fighter ever and arguably the greatest fighter ever from Britain and Ireland. They don't make fighters like McGuigan anymore
Many years ago, in 1983, while I was working in Ireland on contract I decided to attend a fight to see one of the local boys take on a US Marine Corp. Champ at Kings Hall, Belfast. I had never heard of any of the local fighters at all; and when I saw the Marine Corp. champ come out I told myself this guy is going to kill the local fighter. Well, boy was I wrong! This small man came out and just took the Marine Corp. champ to school-boxing school that is! I told my friend sitting next to me…he’s going to be a champion for sure! His name was Barry McGuigan. Two years later he was a great champion!
I was front row at that fight. No alcohol they said. Well a few Irish men shared their hip flask with me. What a great fight and how fit was Barry. He could have reined for many years but how stupid Was Barny Eastwood to put him in with Steve Cruz outside in the sweltering heat. STUPID! Great guy Barry.
Yes you are totally correct junkybabes, maybe I worded my original post badly, all I meant say was Barry's fight generated more excitement for me than any other fighter non american/mexican or whatever and I just loved his fights.
I'm a bit sad to see people arguing over Barry and the fact that he was Irish but was also British by nationality. That really just deflects from the point. Barry was brilliant and, in the 1980s when I was a boy, nobody cared what passport he carried. Nobody cared what his religion was. All we cared about in both the UK and Ireland was that Barry was brilliant. He made people forget sectarianism. We cheered for him and we loved him. Please just focus on that. That was all that mattered.
barry are hardest man i have ever see in my life so i feel sorry for him because his brother suicide and new boss use him for money so now his new boss dump him
Nice 1-2 from Pedroza at 15:51, it didn`t land, it was hard to land on Barry and not get countered because of his nice reach and constant counter pressure.
