Birmingham date for legendary Irish boxer.
Conor McGregor might be the most recognised Irishman on the planet today but during a frenetic spell in the mid-1980s, another fighting man captivated the country.
This October, Bob Brolly will host An Evening with Barry McGuigan, at the Irish Centre in Birmingham some 32 years after one of boxing’s most memorable nights.
On a summer evening in 1985, at the Loftus Road football ground in London, Barry McGuigan deposed the mighty Eusebio Pedroza to win the WBA world featherweight title. It was the culmination of a remarkable journey for the charismatic young man from Monaghan in Ireland. His sporting triumph is a story which somehow brought the divided communities in the north of Ireland together.
There shouldn’t be a shortage of questions to lob at the former WBA featherweight champion, who says that even if he is asked the same questions at these type of events, he can vary his answers. “I get asked the same questions on a fairly regular basis. But it depends who’s asking it and the way they ask it to you. Different circumstances and different audiences, you answer in a different way. I love it.
“The question and answer is probably the best way of getting in touch with your audience. That way you can ask your question and feel part of it, whereas an after-dinner speech is not the same, you’re talking at the audience. In a question and answer situation you always feel that the audience is involved,” the Monaghan man, who now lives in Kent, explained.
Although his days in the middle of the ring are years behind him, boxing still has Barry in its clutches. He writes and commentates on the sport, runs the successful Cyclone Promotions Company and manages some of the world’s best boxers in the shape of Carl Frampton and Josh Taylor
So, it’s clear that when Barry sits down in the Irish Centre this October with Bob Brolly to discuss his career, there won’t be a shortage of topics to quiz him on.
Tickets for the event, which will also include a photo opportunity, are priced at £25 and available online only from www.shamrockevents.co.uk There are two sponsorship packages available for the event, and to find out more email birminghamspeakers@gmail.com