THE CYCLONE IN THE STORM
O n a crisp June evening in 1985, as 27,000 spectators packed into London’s Loftus Road stadium and an estimated 19 million watched on television, a young Irishman from the border town of Clones stepped into the ring to face one of boxing’s most formidable champions. What transpired over the next 15 rounds would not only change Barry McGuigan’s life forever but would also, if only temporarily, help heal the deep wounds of a nation torn apart by sectarian violence. To understand the significance of McGuigan’s triumph over Eusebio Pedroza, you need to understand the social and political landscape of Northern Ireland in the mid-1980s. The period known as “The Troubles” had been raging for nearly two decades, claiming thousands of lives in a bitter conflict between Unionists/ Loyalists (predominantly Protestant) who wished to remain part of the United Kingdom and Nationalists/ Republicans (predominantly Catholic) who sought a united Ireland. »
AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF NORTHERN IRELAND’S VIOLENT PERIOD KNOWN AS “THE TROUBLES,” BARRY MCGUIGAN’S VICTORY OVER FEATHERWEIGHT
CHAMPION EUSEBIO PEDROZA PROVIDED AN EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT OF UNITY By Ruth Raper
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