Puncher from the Past Freddy Gilroy

Name: Freddie Gilroy

Born: 7 March 1936 Belfast

Died:  28 June 2016 aged 80

Career: 1957 to 1962

Record: 28 wins (18 by KO/TKO), 3 Losses (1 by KO/TKO).

Division:  Bantamweight

Stance: Southpaw

Titles:  British, European and Commonwealth bantamweight champion

Major Contests

Scored wins over: Pierre Cossemyns, Kimpo Amarfio, George Bowes, Peter Keenan*, Al Asuncion, Mario D’Agata**, Piero Rollo*, Bernie Taylor, Billy Rafferty (twice),  Billy Calvert, Jackie Brown, Rene Libeer, Johnny Caldwell**.

Lost against: Ignacio Pina, Alphonse Halimi**, Pierre Cossemyns

**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title

* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title

Freddie Gilroy’ Story

Gilroy was born in Ardoyne a working class mainly Catholic area in Belfast, Northernbn Ireland. He joined St John Bosco amateur boxing club at the age of 9 and progressed through the Schholboy and Youth ranks before breaking into the National team in 1955. Although Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom Gilroy chose box for Ireland  and he represented Ireland in international matches against England and the USA. He also represented Ireland in the European Championships at 51 kg. He was eliminated in the preliminaries by Romanian Mircea Dobrescue who went on to win the silver medal. As an indication of how tough the competition was future world champions Alphonso Halimi and Salvatore Burruni lost at the same stage. In 1956 Gilroy won the Irish championship at 54 kgs and did well in international competitions and was selected to box for Ireland at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne Australia. Reportedly Gilroy and the St John Bosco club had to raise £600 to pay for his expenses at the Games.

Expectations were fairly low for the Irish team but Gilroy beat the Russian favourite Boris Stepanov and Italian Mario Stini before losing a controversial decision in the semi-finals against German’s Wolfgang Behrendt. Gilroy won a bronze medal and it turned out to be a very successful Games for Ireland with Fred Tiedt taking silver and Tony Byrne and Johnny Caldwell bronze.

When Gilroy returned from the Games he gave up his job at a clothing factory to turn professional.

He had his first professional fight in Belfast on 9 February 1957 knocking out Scot Derek McReynolds in the first round. His power punching and exciting style was already making him a crowd puller and by the end of 1957 he was 8-0 with 7 wins by KO/TKO.  In his first fight in 1958 he took a huge risk and faced the experienced Belgian Pierre Cossemyns knocking him out in four rounds. Cossemyns would go on to win the vacant  European title in 1961-by knocking out Gilroy!. In other bouts in 1958 Gilroy won two British bantamweight title eliminators.

In January 1959 he stopped former world title challenger Peter Keenan to win the British and commonwealth titles in what was only Gilroy’s fourteenth fight. Later in 1959 he scored points wins over world rated Filipino Al Asuncion and former world bantamweight champion Mario D’Agata then ended the year by decisioning former world title challenger Pierro Rollo to win the European title before beating South Arican Bernie Taylor in a Commonwealth title defence.

That was fight No 19 for Gilroy. He was now British, European and Commonwealth champion and rated No 2 bantamweight by Ring Magazine. Gilroy was  drawing crowds of around 15,000 to Kings Hall in Belfast. In the crowd was Liam Neeson an aspiring youth boxing champion who idolised Gilroy.

Things began to unravel for Gilroy in 1960. He started out by stopping Billy Rafferty in defence of his British, Commonwealth and European titles but then in Aprill 1960 Gilroy suffered his first defeat a points decision against Mexican Ignacio Pina. The visitor’s record was a deceptive 14-3-1 but with no internet Gilroy’s team did not know Pina was a southpaw and he had beaten Jose Medel. It looked as though Gilroy had blown any chance of a shot at the now vacant world title and his case was not helped by Pina losing to Billy Rafferty in his next fight. However, money talked and in October 1960 in London Gilroy faced former champion Frenchman Alphonse Halimi for the vacant title. Gilroy was already having weight problems and he faded late in the fight being knocked down and saved by the bell in thirteenth and losing on points.

Gilroy won his first four fights in 1961 but in May was stopped in four rounds by previous victim Pierre Cossemyns in a fight for the vacant European title. He won his three fights in 1962 which was to be the last year of his career. He knocked bout old foe Billy Rafferty to retain the British and Commonwealth titles and outpointed useful Frenchman Rene Libeer.

Gilroy and Johnny Caldwell came from Belfast and had both won medals as part of the Irish team at the 1956 Olympic Games and both had gone on to have outstanding careers as professionals. Seven months after Halimi had floored and outpointed Gilroy for a version of the vacant World bantamweight title Caldwell floored and outpointed Halimi for the same title. Caldwell retained the title with a points win over Halimi in October 1961 and then lost for the “unified” title to Eder Jofre in January 1962.

The Gilroy vs. Caldwell fight was one of the most anticipated in the history of Irish boxing. Caldwell was the better boxer, an expert craftsman and Gilroy the naturally bigger and stronger man and harder puncher. Gilroy dropped Caldwell in the first round but Caldwell survived as they put on a savage battle. Heads continually banged together and Caldwell was forced to retire at the end of the ninth round due to a cut over his left eye caused by one of those head clashes. There were no technical decisions in those days.

As he and Caldwell had been friends since their amateur days Gilroy did not want the fight but he agreed as winner of the fight was supposed to get a fight with Jofre for the World title. When that did not happen Gilroy, although only 26, retired.

With his exciting style and big punch he was an inspirational figure for many of the top Irish fighters who followed after him such as Barry McGuigan and one Irish paper named him the fourth best Irish fighter of all time after Barry McGuigan, Steve Collins and Carl Frampton.

He opened a pub but in the sectarian conflict taking place then the pub was destroyed by a loyalist firebomb.

Gilroy decided to emigrate to Australia but after spending a few years there he returned to Ireland. Unfortunately he had lost most of his savings, had developed a drinking problem and underwent a divorce from his first wife. He found work with a furniture business and did some coaching and gradually improved his life with the support of his second wife .

Gilroy suffered a stroke in 2015 and died on 28 June 2016.