Martin Brereton (born 20 February 1961) is an Irish former

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. He is best known for competing in the men's light welterweight event at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

in Moscow.

Biography

Martin Brereton comes from an

Edenderry Edenderry (; ) is a town in east County Offaly, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties County Kildare, Kildare, County Meath, Meath and County Westmeath, Westmeath. The Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal runs along ...

family known for their association with

Irish boxing The Boxing Union of Ireland (BUI) is the governing and sanctioning body for professional boxing in Ireland. Foundation and organisation The BUI was founded in 1980, and replaced the BBBofC associated "Irish Boxing Board of Control", which had ...

. His father, Sean "Dutch" Brereton, built the

boxing ring A boxing ring, often referred to simply as a ring or the squared circle, is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring consists of a square raised platform with a post at each corner. Four ropes are attached to the posts and pulled p ...

used in the Muhammad Ali vs. Al "Blue" Lewis fight in

Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...

, while his brother, Liam Brereton, coaches IABA boxers at St. Brigid's Boxing Club. In 1976, Brereton competed for the All Ireland Amateur Championship, where he was defeated by

Barry McGuigan Finbar Patrick "Barry" McGuigan MBE (born 28 February 1961) is an Irish boxing promoter and former professional boxer. Born in Clones, County Monaghan, McGuigan was nicknamed ''The Clones Cyclone'' and held the WBA and lineal featherweight ...

in the final. At the 1979 Irish National Senior Finals, Brereton competed in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

event, losing to Seán Doyle. The next year, Brereton competed again as a lightweight at the 1980 Irish National Senior Finals, this time losing to Paul Malone. Brereton travelled to Italy in 1980 for the Italian Youth Championship, where he earned a bronze medal. Later that year, Brereton represented Ireland at the Moscow

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

as a

light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

, where he lost to Cuba's eventual bronze medallist José Aguilar by

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brereton, Martin 1961 births Living people Irish male boxers Olympic boxers for Ireland Boxers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Place of birth missing (living people) Lightweight boxers Light-welterweight boxers 20th-century Irish sportsmen