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Irish boxing community mourns loss of fans' favourite and St George's legend Paul Ireland

Paul Ireland goes on the attack against Cooneen's Maurice Green in their Ulster senior championship semi-final clash in 1994
Paul Ireland goes on the attack against Cooneen's Maurice Green in their Ulster senior championship semi-final clash in 1994 Paul Ireland goes on the attack against Cooneen's Maurice Green in their Ulster senior championship semi-final clash in 1994

DANNY Boyd will never forget the times he spent with Paul Ireland – not least the countless rounds shared between the ropes at the St George’s club both called home.

“We had a thing between us… world wars we used to call it,” recalls Boyd, now a coach at the famous Markets club.

“It was no good for me when it got to world war 25 or world war 100. We would’ve sparred every night and I’d have gone home with a sore head, every night.

“Paul had an awkward oul style about him, he had his hands in a funny place, but it was effective. He could punch as well, he was a brutal body puncher - I used to hate them.

“No matter when you went in with Paul, or who went in with him, he just never let up.”

Ireland passed away on Thursday, leaving the local boxing community in mourning, and especially all those at St George’s still coming to terms with the recent loss of the legendary Paddy Graham and former secretary Gerry Morgan.

Former bantamweight world champion and Olympic silver medallist Wayne McCullough was among those to pay tribute to the 49-year-old.

The pair were team-mates at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand, with the ‘Pocket Rocket’ tweeting: “Sad to hear of Paul Ireland’s passing. Always one of my best friends on the boxing team.”

And that is how Boyd remembers him – a friend to everybody.

From the day southpaw Ireland first walked through the doors of St George’s, it was clear they had something special on their hands.

Renowned trainer Jimmy Clinton helped mould him into a champion - landing Ulster titles in 1988 (flyweight), 1992, '93 and '94 (all featherweight), as well as the Irish lightweight crown in 1991, defeating Holy Family's Seamus McCann in the final.

His all-action style made him an instant fan favourite, and his showdowns with the likes of Johnston Todd, Mark Winters and Paul Griffin remain the stuff of legend.

“There was three of them came to the club when Clonard closed at the time - him, Fra Bunting and Mickey McCotter. He was probably 14 or 15, but Paul stood out. He was absolutely brilliant,” said Boyd of Ireland, who would go on to box as a pro, finishing at the age of 29 with a 9-1-0 record.

“He was just relentless. I don’t think I ever saw him box where he didn’t get a bloody nose, but he just kept going.

“I grew up with Paul in the club. Apart from anything, he was a brilliant fella, bubbly - the kind of guy who had time for everybody. Jimmy used to say he was like the pied piper with the kids in the club because they just loved him – he would’ve made a cracking coach, Jimmy always said that.

“Him and Jimmy struck up a bond straight away; if Jimmy said jump, Paul would say how high. You did what Jimmy told you and that was it. He got to where he was because of Jimmy too because he was a cracking coach.

“But Paul just had ones of those personalities that rubbed off on people. He’ll always be a St George’s legend.”

Paul Ireland’s funeral will take place in St Agnes’s Church at 10am on Tuesday morning.