David Anthony McAuley,
MBE (born 15 June 1961,
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory)[Larne/Latharna]
Placenames Database of Ireland. is a to ...
) is a former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
who competed from 1983 to 1992. He held the
IBF flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight.
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...
title from 1989 to 1992 and challenged twice for the
WBA flyweight title, in 1987 and 1988. At regional level, he held the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
flyweight title in 1986.
Boxing career
McAuley fought under the name Dave "Boy" McAuley and was one of the last Irish boxers to fight for a world title over 15 rounds. His two bouts with
Fidel Bassa of Colombia were each voted "Fight of the Year", in 1986 and 1987 respectively. On 7 June 1989, McAuley defeated
Duke McKenzie for the IBF title at Wembley Arena, London.
He successfully defended his title five times, eventually losing it in 1992 to
Rodolfo Blanco, whom he had beaten two years previously.
McAuley was unusual for a flyweight in that he was extremely tall, standing at 5'7".
In the late 1990s there was talk of a comeback. Rumours of a fight with Naseem Hamed circulated but never materialised. McAuley also had a short lived MMA career in 1993, fighting twice under the K1 rules, winning one bout and drawing his final contest.
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of Irish sportspeople
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAuley, Dave
1961 births
Living people
Male boxers from Northern Ireland
Flyweight boxers
Sportspeople from Larne
International Boxing Federation champions
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Irish male boxers
Boxers from County Antrim