Francie Barrett
Francie Barrett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Francis Barrett February 7, 1977 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Southpaw |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | light middleweight |
| Stance | southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 20 |
| Wins | 17 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Francis Barrett (born February 7, 1977 in Galway, Ireland), commonly known as Francie Barrett, is an Irish professional boxer, who represented Ireland at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
Background
Barrett is from Galway City and is of Irish Traveller heritage. [citation needed] He was introduced to boxing by trainer, mentor and former boxer Chick Gillen.
Amateur career
Barrett had in excess of 250 bouts as an amateur fighter and represented Ireland internationally. He won Irish titles at both junior and senior level and also won the British welterweight title in 1997, beating Tony Sesay and Michael Jennings on his way to winning the title.[1]
The highlight of Barrett's career came when he was the youngest member of the Irish team at the 1996 Olympic Games and carried the Irish flag during the opening ceremony. During the Olympics Barrett competed in the light welterweight division.
For this he gained global media attention and became a national hero.[1]
His results were:
- Defeated Zely Fereria Dos Santos (Brazil) 32-7
- Lost to Fethi Missaoui (Tunisia) 6-18
Professional career
Barrett turned professional in August 2000 and now fights at light welterweight, out of Wembley, London. Barrett has won the British Southern Area Title and in June 2004 won the European (EU) Title. He now fights at light middleweight.[2]
Outside the ring
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.
References
- ^ a b Claire Bland. "Francie frustrated". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
- ^ Boxrec. "Francie Barrett". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
External links
- Boxing record for Francie Barrett from BoxRec (registration required)
- Barrett family of Galway
- Article from BritishBoxing.net
- Barrett on Hennessy Sports (archive.org copy)[dead link]
- Southpaw at British Film Institute
- Southpaw: The Francis Barrett Story at IMDb
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