THE boxing world has paid tribute to an Ederney man who was known as ‘the hardest man in Ireland’ and formed a close relationship with legendary American heavyweight Muhammad Ali.
To mark 60 years since then 22-year-old Muhammad Ali won his first world title, ‘Bare Knuckle Boxing’ paid tribute to Fermanagh’s Paddy Monaghan who played a key role in Ali’s career.
“When Paddy [Monaghan] was five years old, his father, broke and desperately trying to make ends meet, uprooted the family to Abingdon, England,” said the Facebook post.
“Often bullied and ridiculed as a young lad for his strong Northern Ireland accent, Paddy, determined that no one would push him around, and quickly learned to fight with ferocity beyond his years.
“This was the beginning of a long and renowned career as a bare-knuckle fighter,” added the ‘Bare Knuckle Boxing’ social media page.
The Ederney man was a distinguished bare knuckle boxer and he set up home in Abingdon, where he ran a boxing academy and trained young aspiring fighters.
Ali, who is regarded by many as greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, paid up to 20 visits to the England establishment, where he spent time with Mr Monaghan’s young stars.
“At a fighting weight of little more than 11 stone, Paddy Monaghan was not immediately as intimidating as bare-knuckle boxers like Lenny McLean or Roy Shaw,” posted ‘Bare Knuckle Boxing’.
“If anyone dared to underestimate this man – as many foolish opponents did in the past – the full force of the hardest man in Ireland, a fine and ferocious fighting machine, would be unleashed.
“His unbroken record of 114 bare-knuckle fight wins is not only testimony to his exceptional strategic skill and fearsome punching ability, but also to his sheer determination and passion.
“Paddy Monaghan simply has something inside him that will not allow defeat,” they added.
The 73-year-old Ederney man, who passed away in April 2017, was always very thankful for the support and friendship he received from the American boxing great.
“He [Muhammad Ali] was a loving brother, I loved the man,” Mr Monaghan told ‘The Belfast Telegraph’, “the friendship, I’ll miss him out of this world. But I feel like he’s in the next ring waiting for us.”
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