Latest news with #BarryMcGuigan
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cliftonville on a collision course with League of Ireland giants in Europe
Cliftonville are on a European collision course with Dublin giants Shamrock Rovers following yesterday's draw for the second stage of qualifying for the UEFA Conference League. If the north Belfast Reds negotiate a way past St Joseph's of Gibraltar in the first round, they'll face the current League of Ireland leaders next as they seek to follow in the footsteps of Larne and qualify for the group stages of continental competition. Advertisement But Jim Magilton's European play-off winners will have it all to do to reach the third stage, based on Shamrock Rovers' 4-1 dismantling of Larne at Windsor Park in that group stage last season. READ MORE: Barry McGuigan: I'm proud I brought people together in Northern Ireland but when I look back on my life, I'm overwhelmed with sadness READ MORE: Christine Lampard shares husband Frank's playful nickname for private parts The potential all-island clash would come hot on the heels of Linfield's titanic tussle with reigning League of Ireland champions Shelbourne in the first round of Champions League qualifying. Advertisement The winners of that clash between David Healy's Blues and Damien Duff's north Dublin outfit would go on to face Qarabag of Azerbaijan, who broke Linfield's hearts in the Europa League in 2019 with a victory on away goals. The losers will drop into the Conference League second round qualifiers, where Dungannon Swifts have been drawn to face Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz. Rodney McAree's side earned their spot in continental competition - for the first time in 18 years - by defeating Cliftonville on penalties in the Irish Cup final back in May. The Irish League's other European representatives Larne will take on FC Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova or FC Prishtina of Kosovo should they defeat Latvian outfit FRK Auda in round one. The ties for the second round of Conference League qualifying are scheduled for Thursday July 24 and Thursday July 31.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Vivid memories burned into your brain' - McGuigan reflects on Pedrosa fight
In an interview with BBC Sport NI's Thomas Niblock, forty years on, Barry McGuigan reflects on the night when a UK television audience of 19 million watched him beat Panamanian fighter Eusebio Pedrosa to win the world title at Loftus Road on 8 June 1985.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Dubois beating Usyk would be 'no surprise at all'
Former world champion Barry McGuigan says he would not be "at all surprised" if big-hitting Daniel Dubois beats Oleksandr Usyk in this summer's undisputed heavyweight title fight. Briton Dubois, the IBF belt holder, and WBA, WBO and WBC champion Usyk will meet for the second time on 19 July at Wembley Stadium after Usyk's ninth-round stoppage victory in August 2023. And while McGuigan - whose son Shane formerly trained Dubois - is still backing the undefeated Ukrainian to win, he expects the 27-year-old Londoner to provide a much sterner test than he did in their first bout in Poland. "Dubois can knock the house down, he hits so hard," former featherweight champion McGuigan told BBC Sport NI's Thomas Niblock. "Shane, my son, got him across the line. We went out to Miami, he knocked out Trevor Bryan Jr to win the WBA regular title (in 2022). "He is a big, strong, powerful heavyweight. A modern-day heavyweight, 18-and-a-half stone, 6ft 4ins, built like the proverbial out-house. A massive guy and could knock the wall down with a right hand or a left hook." McGuigan, who has helped mentor Dubois' sister Caroline Dubois, acknowledged the "significant" power difference between former cruiserweight Usyk and the British fighter, who weighed in at almost 18 stone for his stunning knockout victory over Anthony Joshua last September. However, the 64-year-old Irishman feels 38-year-old Usyk is "too clever" to allow Dubois a clean shot. "When the big guys hit you, you stay hit. I think Usyk, with the experience he's had, has got better. "It's a more difficult fight because Usyk has got older and Dubois is still very young. For me, they've gotten closer so the fight will be closer. If Usyk gets hit clean by Dubois, the fight is over, but he'll not get hit like that, he's too clever. "Dubois will want to work on his body, put him under pressure. That whole friction is going to be very exciting."McGuigan added: "I think Usyk will win this time, I'm not sure if he'll stop him, but it could be a wide points decision." McGuigan was speaking in an interview to mark the 40th anniversary of his famous world-title triumph over mighty Panamanian fighter Eusebio the Irishman prevailed at Loftus Road on 8 June 1985, it was watched by a UK television audience of 19 million people. Now the sport is dominated by pay-per-view bouts, with increasing influence from figures such as Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority, funded by Saudi's Public Investment Fund, which is reported to have spent more than £5bn on sport."He wants to make it [Saudi Arabia] the centre of big sporting events and fair dues to him, the fighters are getting paid much better as a result of that, the coming together of Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, so that's a good thing for the game," observed McGuigan. "It's good that there's more money involved for the fighters, it's a dangerous and serious business so it's good that they're making better money than they did in the past. "What it does is it takes down the barrier of these guys wanting to fight each other. If he pays him enough they'll say 'yes, I'm in' so we get WBA champions fighting WBC champions and IBF champions fighting WBO champions."
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Emotional moment Eamonn Holmes fights back tears on his podcast – hours after dramatic on-screen fall
EAMONN Holmes fought back tears on his podcast - just hours after his dramatic fall live on air. The presenter, 65, ended up on his back on set just two weeks after he was rushed to hospital in another fall. 4 4 Eamonn was hailed as a "trooper" by his colleagues - who praised him for keeping calm and carrying on. Just hours after the accident, the broadcaster was left in floods of tears as he remembered his late father during a podcast interview with former boxer Barry McGuigan. On Thursday, Eamonn was filming the second episode for his Things We Like podcast when an story about Barry's father, Pat - who passed away at the age of 52 - appeared visibly upset. Eamonn recalled how Barry's father would sing the traditional Irish melody Danny Boy from the ring before many of his fights. Eamonn said: "Your dad was a special man. I know he was very special to you. "Barry used to come out to the ring to Danny Boy; it would be emotional, I'm sure Barry's the same." Eamonn fought back tears and he added: "It brings tears to my eyes, because of my own dad, for reasons I won't go into." He then asked Barry, who won the British featherweight title in 1983, how emotional that was for him. Barry also struggled to speak, with his voice breaking, he said: "My old man. My dad was very important to me." He paused for a moment before he continued and said: "He saw me winning the world title and he died unfortunately at 52. "So he was only a young man. But he was great, he was a really big part of my life." Singer Pat, who represented Ireland at the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, died in 1987 following a period of ill health. While Eamonn's father Leonard suffered a fatal heart attack while driving in the countryside of Northern Ireland aged 65 and recalled the harrowing experience in his 2006 autobiography, This Is My Life. SAD LOSS The presenter had been in London over Easter in 1991 when his parents and younger brother Conor spent the weekend in their caravan in seaside town Ballycastle, Antrim. Following the weekend, Eamonn called his parent's home on April 3 hoping to hear all about their trip however there was no answer, nor to the call he made 30 minutes later. At 7pm that night, Eamonn received a phonecall from his other brother Colm who told him of their father's death after he had taken ill returning from their trip. The broadcaster wrote in his book that his father became unwell suddenly and had pulled over on the road and couldn't move from the driver's seat - but on a country road and without a phone the wasn't much Eamonn's mother Josie could do. By chance a family friend, John Linehan, had been visiting the area and came to their aid while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Eamonn wrote: "When John got to the car, Daddy was still in the driver's seat. Mum had already flagged someone down who telephoned for help. "Conor, loyal to the end, took on the role of an adult and was still on the back seat, leaning over holding on to his dad. He continued: "He grew up a lot that night. Realising his distress, John steered him away from what was going on. He then knelt beside Dad. "As they waited for an ambulance, John kept talking to him until he became unconscious. He tried to resuscitate him but by the time the ambulance crew got there it was too late. "At sixty-five years old, before he could retire from work and spend many more days with Mum, a heart attack had taken my dad away from us." Upon hearing the devastating news, Eamonn rushed to Heathrow airport and managed to get on the final flight to Belfast so he could be with his family. The TV star said that his mother Josie never got over Leonard's death, while Eamonn explained that he never got over the grief of seeing his father's body in the mortuary. EAMONN'S FALL Eamonn's emotional podcast recording comes after he fell off his chair on GB News. Speaking at the end of the show, Eamonn told viewers: "The chair gave way and I was lying flat on my back with my head hanging off the set. "The first hour or so I was OK because the adrenaline kicked in, but then as the morning went on I felt the aches and pains. "The worst thing is that two weeks ago I was hospitalised for a similar fall in the same area, back of my neck, head and shoulders and that's all come back." He added: "We're going to have to replace the chairs because I'm not the only one to have fallen." Commentator Charlie Rowley, who was on-screen when Eamonn fell this morning, also paid tribute to the veteran host. He wrote on X: "Eamonn, you are the real hero for carrying on this morning. "A true professional and National Treasure who I learn from each and every week. It's a privilege working with you, Ellie Costello and the rest of the GB News family. Take care!" At the end of the show, in conversation with colleagues Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner, Bev told viewers: "Now, if you weren't watching earlier this morning, you will have missed our resident stunt man, Eamonn Holmes. "Eamonn, as we know, struggles with his health at the moment. He has some good days, he has some bad days. Well this morning it turned out it was a bad day." "Unfortunately we have these chairs on wheels so we can jump in and out quickly. "We have to jump to the camera, we have to nip out to the loo sometimes, and sometimes we have 30 seconds to do that. "Eamonn pushed his chair back this morning and ended up on the floor." Andrew continued: "Eamonn was flat out, 180 degree angle, saying 'carry on'. "He shouted from under the desk, he did carry on and he got up and carried on with the show. What a trooper he is." 4
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Eamonn Holmes fights back tears as he remembers his late father during emotional podcast chat - hours after tumbling from his chair on live TV
Eamonn Holmes was reduced to tears as he remembered his late father during a podcast interview with former boxer Barry McGuigan on Thursday - hours after tumbling from his chair on live TV. Holmes was hosting the second instalment of his Things We Like podcast with GB News colleague Paul Coyte when an anecdote about McGuigan's own father, Pat - who passed away at the age of 52 - left him visibly moved. Discussing the former boxer's extraordinary rise to lineal heavyweight champion, Holmes - whose dad Leonard died aged 64 in 1990 - recalled how Pat would sing the anthemic Danny Boy from the ring before many of his son's fights. 'Your dad was a special man,' he said. 'I know he was very special to you. Barry used to come out to the ring to Danny Boy; it would be emotional, I'm sure Barry's the same.' Fighting back tears, he added: 'It brings tears to my eyes, because of my own dad, for reasons I won't go into.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Eamonn Holmes was reduced to tears as he remembered his late father during a podcast interview with former boxer Barry McGuigan on Thursday Pat, a successful singer who represented Ireland at the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, died in 1987 aged just 52 following a period of poor health. Holmes' father Leonard also died young after suffering a fatal heart attack while driving. Discussing his sudden death during appearance on Irish show The Meaning Of Life in 2021, he said: 'He's been gone 31 years now but I still miss him every day. 'I can't recall my late father without thinking of how he always wanted to provide… even when I had a successful career. I think like all of us he just liked to be needed.' Describing a vivid memories of his dad, while choking back tears, Holmes said: 'All he did was give us a big hug, or whatever... 'All he did was say things like: "Do you need any money?" I was on Ulster Television, earning £12,000 a year. He wasn't earning £12,000 a year or anything near it. 'One day my mum said: "Let him give you some money". I did. I was like "yeah dad" and he'd give me twenty quid.' Holmes also admitted the hardest part about losing his dad so suddenly was being unable to say goodbye. Ahead of the show airing on RTÉ One, he tweeted a video clip except and wrote: 'He's been gone 31 years now but I still miss him every day. 'I can't recall my late father without thinking of how he always wanted to provide, even when I had a successful career. I think like all of us he just liked to be needed.' The podcast was released shortly after Holmes' admitted he was feeling 'really sore following a fall on live TV. The Northern Irish broadcaster added that it was 'a bit of a shock' considering he had been taken to hospital earlier in the month after he had a fall at his home. During Wednesday's instalment of the GB News show he co-hosts with Ellie Costello, a crash could be heard while the camera was focused on their guest, commentator Charlie Rowley. Costello could be heard saying 'oh my gosh' off-screen, and Holmes pleaded with Rowley to 'carry on' before the presenter returned to the show following a break. Holmes said: 'Welcome back. Good to see you again. Especially good for me to see you again. I am still alive, yes. 'And they're very wonky wheels on chairs that we've got here, and matter of fact, we don't really like the chairs full stop, do we? They're a bit slippy and slidey and I've slipped and slid off mine there.' Ahead of the show airing on RTÉ One, he tweeted a video clip except and wrote: 'He's been gone 31 years now but I still miss him every day' He continued: 'Not the first guest to have done so, we've had a few, they have to remain nameless because they're well known people, but they've hit the floor really badly, quite frightening. 'And it was a bit of a shock for me because I've had a fall in my bathroom two weeks ago, which hospitalised me, and that hit me again right in the back. (I'm) really, really sore. Really sore.' He later said the chair 'gave way' which meant he was lying flat on his back. He added: 'As the morning goes on, you feel aches and pains. The worst thing about this, of course, this was at a time when I was hospitalised two weeks ago for a very similar fall in the same area, back of the head, my neck, my shoulders. So it all came back, as it were.'
