Francis Barrett (boxer)

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Francis ("Francie") Barrett (born February 7, 1977 in Galway, Ireland) is a professional boxer, who represented his native country as an amateur at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

As a boxer he is an EU light welterweight Champion, a former Senior ABA Champion, and represented Ireland in the Olympics. Even with these credentials, as an Irish Traveller, he has faced much discrimination.

In March 1999, Barrett was ejected from a Galway nightclub. [1]

At an earlier date, Barrett and his wife, Kathleen, were denied entry to a Salthill nightclub called Liquid. Barrett filed a lawsuit for the ejection. [2]

The documentary, Southpaw: The Francis Barrett Story, won the Audience Prize at the 1999 New York Irish Film Festival. It followed Barrett for three years and showed him overcoming discrimination as he progressed up the amateur boxing ranks to eventually carry the Irish flag and box for Ireland at the age of 19 during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Francie turned professional in August 2000 and now fights at light welterweight, out of Wembley, London.