Joe Rea
| Joe Rea | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Joseph Rea |
| Nickname(s) | Sugar |
| Rated at | Light middleweight |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born |
24 July 1983 Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 16 |
| Wins | 7 |
| Wins by KO | 4 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Joe Rea (born 24 July 1984) is a professional boxer from Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland who has been selected to enter Prizefighter in May 2012.[1]
Amateur career
Rea fought out of the All Saints Boxing Club in Ballymena from the age of 11 and won a number of Ulster titles and reached four Irish finals as a juvenile before turning professional.[2]
Professional career
He then turned professional and had his first pro fight in June 2004, which he won by sensational knockout in the first round over local prospect Devin Womack at the Memorial Hall, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States.[1]
Rea went on to compiled an impressive unbeaten record of 8 fights in the United States before returning to the UK in 2008 to partake in the first ever Prizefighter Series for middleweights. Rea was made one of the favourites going into the competition along with St. Helen's prospect Martin Murray. However, the pair met each other in the first round of the competition and Rea lost out on a points decision in a close fight that was considered the real final.[1][3]
Rea then found it hard to find fights as he was seen as a dangerous prospect and had to travel around European fighters unbeaten boxers at short notice. He quickly racked up a string of six defeats but gained plaudits on the scene as a game and plucky fighter that was not afraid to take on all comers.[4][5]
Since 2012, Rea has changed his training habits and found a new trainer. He now looks forward to the biggest night of his career on May 5 at the King's Hall, Belfast when he enters the first ever Prizefighter to take place in Ireland.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Boxrec. "Joe Rea BoxRec record". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ↑ "Novice success for All Saints trio". Ballymena Times. Retrieved 27 January 2005.
- ↑ "Middleweights set to shine ahead of Ricky Hatton's big night Stateside". SKY Sports. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
- ↑ Jonny Stapleton. "Eamonn for the top : O'Kane seeks Rea win". Irish-Boxing.com. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ↑ Leonard Gunning. "‘Sugar’ Rea bitter after latest defeat to Anderson". Boxing-Ireland.com. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ↑ "Betfair Prizefighter Middleweights". Matchroom Boxing. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
External links
- Joe Rea's official record @ boxrec