Noel Magee

Noel Magee
Noel Magee
Born	16 December 1965 (age 58); Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nationality	Irish
	Statistics
Weight(s)	light heavyweight
	Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	27
Wins by KO	12
Losses	8
Draws	2
No contests	0

Noel Magee (born 16 December 1965) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1997. He held the Commonwealth light heavyweight title in 1995.

Background

Magee grew up in the strongly nationalist Ardoyne area of Belfast and came from a boxing obsessed family. Magee's younger brother Eamonn stated that for his mother "boxing was as important as school". Magee's three brothers were also boxers with two of them, Eamonn and Terry, having careers as professional boxers. His brother, Eamonn, was also a Commonwealth champion.

Amateur career

Magee, like his younger brother Eamonn, boxed to national level for Ireland. The highlight of his short amateur career was in 1985 when, at the age of eighteen, he won the Irish Light Heavyweight Title, defeating a young Steve Collins in the final. Magee again beat Collins later that year in a trial for the international team.

Professional career

Still only 19 years of age, Magee on 22 May 1985, turned professional under the mentorship of Pat Brogan, winning his first fight at the European Sporting Club, Stoke, England, in which Magee knocked out Nigel Prickett.

Title fight defeats

It was four years before he fought for his title fight when he took on fellow Belfastman Sam Storey in November 1989 for the British Super Middleweight Title, however he lost this fight when the referee stopped the fight in the 9th round. After this loss Noel changed managers and joined the Eastwood stable. Magee went on a winning streak beating his next seven opponents, before he again fought for another this time the British Light Heavyweight Title against Maurice Core in August 1992 but the result was the same, Magee, was stopped in the ninth despite having Core down twice in 3 rounds up going into the 9th. Magee's following fight was also a defeat, this time at the hands of Dariusz Michalczewski for the Vacant IBF Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Title. Magee also lost his challenge for the European (EBU) Light Heavyweight Title against Fabrice Tiozzo.

Commonwealth title victory

After this series of title fight defeats, Magee was becoming disillusioned with boxing and had informed his promoter Barney Eastwood that he was considering changing promoters.

The following week Eastwood lined up a fight with the then unbeaten Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Title holder Garry Delaney. The fight took place in May 1995 at the Festival Hall, Basildon, Essex, England. Magee was a huge underdog with the bookies offering odds of 10/1 for a Magee win. Magee made his superior hand and foot speed tell by winning the fight with a stoppage in the seventh to take the only major title belt in his professional career.^[1]

Magee lost the first defence of his title to Nicky Piper, and after this Magee lost his will to continue boxing and two years later, after a brief two fight comeback including a loss to Darren Corbett for the Irish Cruiserweight Title, Magee retired from boxing.

Professional boxing record

27 Wins (12 knockouts, 15 decisions), 8 Losses (7 knockout, 1 decision), 2 Draws [1]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	13–1–1	Darren Corbett	KO	2	29 April 1997	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Irish Cruiserweight Title.
Win	10–22–5	John Duckworth	PTS	6	28 January 1997	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Loss	22–4–2	Nicky Piper	KO	9	30 September 1995	Cardiff, Wales	Commonwealth/WBO Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Titles.
Win	19–0–1	Garry Delaney	TKO	7	9 May 1995	Basildon, England	Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Title.
Loss	30–1	Fabrice Tiozzo	TKO	4	5 March 1995	Vitrolles, France	EBU Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	4–1–1	John J. Cooke	PTS	6	21 May 1994	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win	10–26–4	John Kaighin	PTS	6	16 October 1993	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Loss	16–0	Dariusz Michalczewski	TKO	8	22 May 1993	Aachen, Germany	IBF Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Title.
Loss	9–0–1	Maurice Core	TKO	9	28 September 1992	Manchester, England	BBBofC British Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	4–7	Roger McKenzie	PTS	8	25 April 1992	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win	20–4	Tony Wilson	TKO	3	11 December 1991	Dublin, Ireland
Win	24–13–1	Frank Minton	TKO	3	13 November 1991	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Referee stopped the bout at 0:29 of the third round.
Win	6–12–3	Simon Collins	PTS	8	11 May 1991	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win	2–1	Roger McKenzie	PTS	6	12 February 1991	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win	10–4	Johnny Melfah	PTS	6	30 October 1990	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win	6–7–2	Glazz Campbell	PTS	8	15 September 1990	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Loss	13–1	Sam Storey	TKO	9	29 November 1989	Belfast, Northern Ireland	BBBofC British Super Middleweight Title.
Win	13–5–1	Paul McCarthy	KO	2	2 October 1989	Hanley, England
Loss	15–10	Yves Monsieur	TKO	5	15 February 1989	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Draw	9–1	Ian Bulloch	PTS	10	15 November 1988	Kingston upon Hull, England
Win	15–6	Mike Brothers	TKO	6	3 May 1988	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Draw	29–11–2	Rufino Angulo	PTS	8	13 February 1988	Paris, France
Loss	5–2	John Held	PTS	8	20 October 1987	Kingston upon Hull, England
Win	21–18–4	Jimmy Ellis	TKO	6	3 August 1987	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Win	9–5	Lennie Howard	TKO	1	24 February 1987	Ilford, England	Referee stopped the bout at 0:37 of the first round.
Win	8–2	Serg Fame	PTS	8	17 November 1986	London, England
Win	21–16–4	Jimmy Ellis	PTS	8	13 October 1986	London, England
Win	16–21	Geoff Rymer	KO	1	30 May 1986	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Win	7–9–2	Barry Ahmed	TKO	7	23 April 1986	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Win	16–44–2	Winston Burnett	PTS	8	5 March 1986	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Win	7–8–2	Barry Ahmed	PTS	8	20 February 1986	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Win	13–15–1	Blaine Logsdon	PTS	8	23 January 1986	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Win	15–43–2	Winston Burnett	PTS	8	11 December 1985	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Win	15–41–2	Winston Burnett	PTS	8	6 November 1985	Nantwich, England
Win	1–4–1	Eddie Chatterton	TKO	1	28 October 1985	Stoke-on-Trent, England	Referee stopped the bout at 1:37 of the first round.
Win	0–5	Dave Furneaux	TKO	3	12 September 1985	Swindon, England	Referee stopped the bout at 1:45 of the third round.
Win	0–3	Nigel Prickett	KO	1	22 May 1985	Stoke-on-Trent, England	Prickett knocked out at 0:42 of the first round.