Barry Alan Audia (born August 1, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1987. He began his boxing career in the early 1970s and turned professional in 1980. His ranking as a boxer peaked in the mid-1980s at number 7 middleweight in the world.

Boxing career

A native of

Pennington Gap, Virginia Pennington Gap is the most populous town in Lee County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census. The Lee Regional Medical Center was in Pennington Gap until it closed in October 2013, and the United States Penitentiar ...

, Audia had about 100 fights as an amateur. He turned pro in 1980. Audia fought notable boxers such as Errol Christie, Giovanni Bovenzi, and

Thomas Hearns Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowe ...

as an amateur. On May 24, 1984, he defeated an undefeated Thomas Smith in the main event of a nationally televised card on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

to improve to a 21–0 record. He suffered his first defeat in his following fight against Giovanni Bovenzi in July.

Life after boxing

After his last successful fight against Gary Thomas in

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in the State of Tennessee. Located in Sullivan County, its population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. T ...

, Audia officially resigned as a professional boxer. He now runs and operates Audia’s Boxing Gym in

Pennington Gap, VA Pennington Gap is the most populous town in Lee County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census. The Lee Regional Medical Center was in Pennington Gap until it closed in October 2013, and the United States Penitentia ...

. In 1989, he met his present wife Paula. The couple married in 1991. They had a son, Barry Alan Audia II. He is now a 6th grade science teacher and high school golf coach in

Lee County, Virginia Lee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,173. Its county seat is Jonesville. History The area of far western Virginia and eastern Kentucky supported large Archai ...

, where Audia was born and has resided for most of his life.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Audia, Barry Living people 1957 births American male boxers Light-middleweight boxers Boxers from Virginia People from Pennington Gap, Virginia