Ray Close
Time Out: Why boxers need to be saved from themselves in 'exhibition' era
FOR an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother not to be the greatest indignity in a once glorious career takes a bit of doing.
'Let me tell you, going to Belfast, it was beautiful. The Irish love a character, and who doesn’t adore defiance?'
Don King summoning the spirit of the shillelagh, big Jack chugging on a cigar, glitter-wielding leprachauns, rhymes, riding crops and razzmatazz - the second showdown between Ray Close and Chris Eubank had it all. Neil Loughran looks back at an unforgettable week in Belfast’s fight history...
'I think maybe I surprised him... it was the first fight he hadn’t won. At the time that was unheard of'
ON a typically frenetic morning at Belfast City Airport, Ray Close does a double take as he peers through the crowd of bodies criss-crossing the arrivals hall.
Flashback: In The Irish News on Dec 12 1996: Fresh from US wins, Ray Close calls out Steve Collins
A look back at sporting events in The Irish News on this date 20 years ago ...
