John Duddy

This article is about the boxer from Northern Ireland. For the Scottish murderer, see Shepherd's Bush murders. For the man shot dead on Bloody Sunday in Derry, see Bloody Sunday (1972).
Statistics
Real name John Francis Duddy
Nickname(s) Ireland's John Duddy
The Derry Destroyer
Rated at Middleweight
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Reach 74 in (188 cm)
Nationality Irish
Born (1979-06-19) 19 June 1979[1]
Derry, Northern Ireland
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 31
Wins 29
Wins by KO 18
Losses 2
Draws 0
No contests 0

John Francis Duddy (born 19 June 1979)[1] is an Irish retired middleweight professional boxer, from Derry. Duddy fought under the moniker of "Ireland's John Duddy"[1] or "The Derry Destroyer".[2]

Duddy lost only twice (to Billy Lyell and Julio César Chávez, Jr.) in 31 bouts,[3] with eighteen (18) wins by knockout, ten of which came in the first round. He is the former IBA World and WBC Continental Americas middleweight title holder.[4]

Amateur career

As an amateur Duddy fought 130 times, winning 100 of his bouts. Duddy won his first Irish national title at the age of 15 as a Light Middleweight in the Junior Division, later winning Irish titles at the Intermediate and Elite Levels. He represented Ireland at European level and during Olympic qualifiers.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Professional career

Debut

Duddy turned professional September 2003, and his first fight as a pro was fight Tarek Rashed in the Bronx, New York. He won via first round knockout. On 22 November, he stopped Jesse Gomez at the Crowne Plaza hotel. His next bout was also at the Crowne Plaza, where he beat Leo Laudat on 21 December but suffered his first knockdown.[4]

Early professional fights

Duddy began 2004 by stepping up his opponent quality a notch, when he met Ken Hock on 9 January 2004 in Uncasville, Connecticut. Hock had ten victories against four losses and one draw (tie) coming into his bout with Duddy. Hock became the first boxer to go more than one round against Duddy, but still lost by knockout to the Irish prospect in the fourth round. He then experienced his career's longest lay-off, waiting over nine months before his next bout. When he returned, he once again won by first round knockout, defeating Victor Paz on 30 October at Middletown, New York. Duddy quickly returned to action after that fight, beating William Johnson on 18 November in Manhattan.[4]

Duddy's last fight of 2004 came on 12 December at Brighton Beach, Brooklyn against the then undefeated Glen Dunnings. Dunnings became only the second boxer to go more than one round against Duddy, when he was knocked out in the fifth round. Duddy's first fight of 2005 came on 4 February, when he beat Chuck Orso in White Plains.[4]

St Patrick's Day events

On 18 March, Duddy fought the undefeated prospect Leonard Pierre as part of an Irish themed "day after Saint Patrick's Day card". This undercard was televised in the United States on ESPN, with Duddy and Pierre fighting the semi-main event of the card, which was headlined by heavyweight Kevin McBride, who later defeated Mike Tyson.[10]

Both the live crowd and the television announcers expected an early knockout in this fight, given that Pierre also had six first round knockout wins. Duddy proceeded to drop Pierre twice before experienced referee Frank Cappuccino stopped the fight, giving Duddy his seventh first round knockout, and his ninth consecutive knockout victory.

On 11 June 2005 Duddy was up against Patrick Thompson in Madison Square Garden. Thompson became the third boxer to last the first round, and both fighters boxed to a judge's decision. The score on all three cards was 80-72 in favor of Duddy, who extended his win streak to ten, while his knockout streak ended at nine.[4]

In his next eight fights, Duddy knocked out six opponents, including first round knock outs of both Joseph Brady (17 September 2005) and Shelby Pudwill (16 March 2006). On the undercard of the 10 June 2006 Miguel Cotto-Paul Malignaggi Top Rank Pay-Per-View fight, Duddy took on the experienced fighter Alfredo Cuevas, who in 2004 went the 12 round distance with former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. It was Duddy's eighth fight in less than a year and his third at Madison Square Garden, but he showed no signs of fatigue, fighting Cuevas for 7 rounds before Cuevas retired on his stool with a broken nose and several deep cuts.

His next fight came against Yori Boy Campas, again at Madison Square Garden. Against an opponent with ten times more professional experience, Duddy went the distance, winning in a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. On 16 March 2007, he beat Anthony Bonsante at Madison Square Garden. Duddy won with a unanimous 90-81, 89-82 and 88-83 decision when the fight was stopped after the ninth round by referee Steve Smoger, due to heavy bleeding from Bonsante's forehead caused by an earlier accidental headbutt.

Return to Ireland

On 14 July 2007 Duddy fought the first of his two scheduled fights in what has been billed as his "Homecoming" to Ireland. In his first at the National Stadium in Dublin, his opponent was Alessio Furlan. Duddy was ruled the winner by TKO with only 10 seconds to go in the 10th and final round. John then went on to defeat Prince Arron in 2 rounds on 20 October in Dublin's National Stadium. He fought Howard Eastman at the King's Hall in Belfast on 8 December. The fight was expected to be his toughest to date. In front of 5,500 supporters, Duddy recorded a ten round 96-94 points victory.[11][12]

Loss to Lyell

On 24 April 2009, Duddy was beaten via ten-round split decision by Billy Lyell, a fighter with seven losses in his twenty-five fights.[13]

Rebuilding

On 10 October 2009, Duddy made a successful return to the ring against Michi Munoz. Duddy won a unanimous decision.[14] On 23 January 2010, he fought Juan Astorga in Madison Square Garden. He went on to win by way of TKO in the first round, giving Duddy his 18th KO.[15]

Duddy defeated Michael Medina of Monterrey, Mexico via a split decision on 13 March 2010, on the undercard of the Pacquaio/Clottey WBO Welterweight Championship.[16] In his final fight he was unanimously outpointed by Julio César Chávez, Jr. in a fight in San Antonio on 26 June 2010.[3]

Retirement

Duddy announced his retirement from boxing in a statement on 19 January 2011, after "a great deal of soul-searching". In the statement, Duddy cited a lack of desire, saying, "I no longer have the enthusiasm and willingness to make the sacrifices that are necessary to honor the craft of prizefighting", and stated that his decision is final, scuppering plans for an all-Irish showdown at Foxwoods Resort against Andy Lee.[17] Now that his boxing career is over, he has reportedly decided to enter the field of acting.[18]

Professional boxing record

29 Wins (18 knockouts), 2 Losses, 0 Draws,0 No Contests
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Loss29–2Mexico Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. UD12 (12)26 June 2010 United States Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Vacant WBC Silver Middleweight Title on the line.
Win 29–1 Mexico Michael Medina SD 12 (12) 13 March 2010 United States Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Win 28–1 United States Juan Astorga TKO 1 (8), 1:55 23 January 2010United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win 27–1 Mexico Michi Munoz UD 8 (8) 10 October 2009 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss 26–1 United States Billy Lyell SD 10 (10) 24 April 2009 United States Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Win 26–0 United States Matt Vanda UD 10 (10) 21 February 2009United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win 25–0 United States Charles Howe UD 10 (10) 28 June 2008 United States The Castle, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 24–0 Tunisia Walid Smichet MD 10 (10) 23 February 2008United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win 23–0 ItalyAlessio Furlan TKO 10 (10), 2:42 20 October 2007Republic of Ireland King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 22–0 United Kingdom Prince Arron TKO 2 (10), 2:33 20 October 2007Republic of Ireland National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Win 21–0 ItalyAlessio Furlan TKO 10 (10), 2:42 14 July 2007Republic of Ireland National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Win 20–0 United States Dupre Strickland UD 10 (10) 18 May 2007 United States Beacon Theatre, New York, New York
Win 19–0 United States Anthony Bonsante TD 9 (12) 16 March 2007 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York IBA and WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Titles at stake.
Win 18–0 Mexico Luis Ramon Campas UD 12(12) 29 September 2006 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York Retained IBA Middleweight Title.
Win 17–0 United States Alfredo Cuevas RTD 7 (12), 10 June 2006United StatesMadison Square Garden, New York, New York Retained IBA Middleweight Title.
Win 16–0 United StatesShelby Pudwill TKO 1 (10), 1:51 16 March 2006United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York Vacant IBA Middleweight Title on the line.
Win 15–0 Haiti Julio Jean UD 10 (10) 4 February 2006 United StatesThe Castle, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 14–0 United States Wilmer Mejia TKO 4 (8) 15 December 2005 United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Win 13–0 CanadaBryon Mackie TKO 4 (8), 1:32 4 November 2005United States Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York
Win 12–0 United States Joseph Brady KO 1 (8), 1:01 17 September 2005United States Dana Barros Sports Complex, Mansfield, Massachusetts
Win 11–0 United States Pat Coleman TKO 8 (8), 2:30 22 July 2005 United States Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Win 10–0 United States Patrick Thompson UD 8 (8) 11 June 2005United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win 9–0 HaitiLenord Pierre TKO 1 (8), 1:23 18 March 2005United States Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win 8–0 United StatesChuck Orso KO 1 (8), 1:37 4 February 2005United States Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Win 7–0 United StatesGlen Dunnings TKO 5 (6), 1:20 11 December 2004United StatesAtlantic Oceana, Brighton Beach, New York
Win 6–0 United States William Johnson TKO 1 (4), 0:39 18 November 2004 United States Manhattan Center, New York, New York
Win 5–0 United States Victor Paz TKO 1 (6), 2:04 30 October 2004United States Orange County Fairgrounds, Middletown, New York
Win 4–0 United States Ken Hock TKO 4 (4), ?:?? 9 January 2004 United States Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut
Win 3–0 United States Leo Laudat TKO 1 (4), ?:?? 21 November 2003 United States Crowne Plaza Hotel, New York, New York
Win 2–0 United States Jesse Gomez TKO 1 (4), ?:?? 22 October 2003 United States Crowne Plaza Hotel, New York, New York
Win 1–0 United States Tarek Rached TKO 1 (4), ?:?? 19 September 2003United States Jimmy's Bronx Cafe, Bronx, New York Professional debut.

Personal life

Duddy married his long-time girlfriend Graínne Coll in 2009 in their native Derry.[19]

One of Duddy's uncles, also named John Duddy, was one of the 14 people killed by British Army Paratroopers, during Bloody Sunday.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BoxRec: John Duddy". boxrec.com. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  2. ↑ "'Derry Destroyer' John Duddy maintains unbeaten record with points win", 29 June 2008; retrieved 29 June 2010.
  3. 1 2 Duddy goes down fighting, 27 June 2010; retrieved 29 June 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff. "John Duddy profile at". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  5. ↑ Shane Murray. "Ireland take Gold". RTÉ News. Retrieved 20 April 2002.
  6. ↑ Jerry Glick. "Talks to John Duddy". Seconds Out. Retrieved August 2005.
  7. ↑ Benny Henderson Jr. "Prospect Watch: The Fighting Irishman John Duddy". Doghouse Boxing. Retrieved 10 January 2005.
  8. ↑ Steve Farhood. "Phenomenon". Boxing Monthly. Retrieved May 2006.
  9. ↑ Matthew Hurley. "Ireland's Warrior - John Duddy". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 1 February 2006.
  10. 1 2 Brian Doogan (12 March 2006). "Who is John Duddy?". The Times on Line (London, UK). Retrieved 12 March 2006.
  11. ↑ "Duddy to take on veteran Eastman", BBC News; accessed 23 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Duddy to face Eastman in Belfast", rte.ie; accessed 23 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Slater, James (25 April 2009). "Billy Lyell Upsets John Duddy - What Now For The Irishman?". www.eastsideboxing.com. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  14. ↑ "Irish Middleweight John Duddy Beats Michi Munoz". Bock The Robber. 11 October 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  15. ↑ "John Duddy knocks out Juan Astorga in first round win". BBC Sport. 24 January 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  16. ↑ "Derry's John Duddy edges split decision in Texas bout". BBC Sport. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  17. ↑ Rafael, Dan. "John Duddy retires, drops HBO fight". ESPN.com. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  18. ↑ McDaid, Brendan. "John Duddy punched his way to top now he's turning his hand to acting", belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 30 March 2013; accessed 24 June 2014.
  19. ↑ Weir, Clare (29 August 2009). "Boxing ace Duddy marries long-term sweetheart". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  20. ↑ "Tribute planned for boxer John Duddy's uncle". Los Angeles Times. 23 June 2014. Retrieved June 2010.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.