Peter McDonagh
Encyclopedia
Peter McDonagh in Galway
, Ireland
is a professional boxer
. He usually fights at lightweight
or the divisions either side.
in which McDonagh beat Birmingham
's Arv Mittoo on an undercard that included Tony Booth.
for the Irish Light Welterweight Title holder which he lost on points over 10 rounds at the National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland.
Michael Gomez
on 28 January 2006 for the Irish lightweight title on the undercard of a Bernard Dunne
fight at the National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland.
Gomez had been out of the ring for almost a year and was due to fight Scottish
Willie Limond
for the WBU lightweight title but turned down that opportunity for a chance to fight for an Irish
title.
After the fight was signed Gomez stated "I just can’t wait to get my hands on that Irish title because I’ve been desperate to fight in Ireland for years".
Leading up to the fight McDonagh was seeing the famous paranormalist Uri Geller
as mind coach to help him mentally prepared for the fight and Geller travelled with him to Dublin for the fight. Gomez commented that ""I’m not sure Uri Geller will be of much use to him though because there won’t be any spoons in that ring for him to bend. The only thing I plan on bending is some of McDonagh’s ribs with my body punches".
commentator Steve Collins
commented that "I smell a rat, something's not right here".
(BUI) suspended both fighters purses, and investigated reports of unusually beating patterns and large sums of money being placed on McDonagh to win inside the distance and more specifically in the fifth round after on McDonagh to win the fight in the fifth-round had been cut from 125-1 to 18-1 by the afternoon of the bout.
Following an investigation, the BUI released the purses to each of the fighters, stating "Michael Gomez and Peter McDonagh confirmed that neither they, their families, nor any person in their camp, as far as they were aware, betted on the fight", but expressing disappointment that the bookmaker
Boylesports
, who had suspended wagering on the bout due to the unusual betting patterns, had chosen not to reply to the investigators' queries.
Gomez later explained the loss by saying that "it was all very simple, I just came to a decision in there that I need to retire from boxing full stop".
Gomez further indicated that he planned to pursue a career in body building. McDonagh, meanwhile, claimed that he had won because Uri Geller
had helped him mentally prepare for the fight.
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
is a professional boxer
Professional Boxing
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...
. He usually fights at lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
or the divisions either side.
First professional fight
McDonagh boxed as an amateur before turning professional in March 2002, winning his first fight at the Elephant & Castle Centre in the London Borough of SouthwarkLondon Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
in which McDonagh beat Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
's Arv Mittoo on an undercard that included Tony Booth.
Fighting in England
Although a native Galwegian, McDonagh, lives and fights out of a boxing gym in London. In March 2004, McDonagh won the British (Southern Area) Lightweight Title and in May 2005 he fought Robbie MurrayRobbie Murray
"The Flurry" Robbie Murray born in Dublin, Ireland is an Irish professional boxer in the welterweight division. Murray has now moved to the welterweight but all of his fights as a professional were fought in the welterweight division.-Background:Murray was born into a large family from...
for the Irish Light Welterweight Title holder which he lost on points over 10 rounds at the National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland.
Pre-fight shenanigans
McDonagh fought English based Irish travellerIrish Traveller
Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...
Michael Gomez
Michael Gomez
Michael Gomez , also known as "The Irish Mexican" or "The Predator", is a former professional boxer...
on 28 January 2006 for the Irish lightweight title on the undercard of a Bernard Dunne
Bernard Dunne
Bernard Dunne is a retired Irish professional boxer and a former WBA, and European super bantamweight champion.On Saturday 21 March 2009, Dunne waged the war that he would be best remembered for and defeated Ricardo Cordoba in the 11th round to become the WBA super bantamweight champion in a fight...
fight at the National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland.
Gomez had been out of the ring for almost a year and was due to fight Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Willie Limond
Willie Limond
Willie Limond is a Glasgow-born professional boxer. He is the current WBU lightweight champion, former IBO Inter-Continental champion, and the former Commonwealth lightweight Champion.-Early career:...
for the WBU lightweight title but turned down that opportunity for a chance to fight for an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
title.
After the fight was signed Gomez stated "I just can’t wait to get my hands on that Irish title because I’ve been desperate to fight in Ireland for years".
Leading up to the fight McDonagh was seeing the famous paranormalist Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
as mind coach to help him mentally prepared for the fight and Geller travelled with him to Dublin for the fight. Gomez commented that ""I’m not sure Uri Geller will be of much use to him though because there won’t be any spoons in that ring for him to bend. The only thing I plan on bending is some of McDonagh’s ribs with my body punches".
Events of the fight
The first four rounds were relatively close with Gomez leading according to pundits but the fight ended in the fifth round in bizarre circumstances when for no apparent reason Gomez stopped fighting and failed to defend himself, he then received a number of unanswered punches from McDonagh before being floored. Gomez rose from the canvas immediately but appeared to ignore the referee and walk towards his corner while the referee continued with his count, and then left the ring as the referee was waving the fight off. The RTÉRTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
commentator Steve Collins
Steve Collins
Stephen Collins, more commonly known as Steve Collins, is a former professional boxer. Known as the "The Celtic Warrior", Collins is the former WBO middleweight and super middleweight champion....
commented that "I smell a rat, something's not right here".
Purses withheld by BUI
The Boxing Union of IrelandBoxing Union of Ireland
The Boxing Union of Ireland is the governing and sanctioning body for professional boxing in Ireland.The BUI is based at Chancery Place in Dublin and the current president is Mel Christle ....
(BUI) suspended both fighters purses, and investigated reports of unusually beating patterns and large sums of money being placed on McDonagh to win inside the distance and more specifically in the fifth round after on McDonagh to win the fight in the fifth-round had been cut from 125-1 to 18-1 by the afternoon of the bout.
Following an investigation, the BUI released the purses to each of the fighters, stating "Michael Gomez and Peter McDonagh confirmed that neither they, their families, nor any person in their camp, as far as they were aware, betted on the fight", but expressing disappointment that the bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
Boylesports
Boylesports
Boylesports is the largest independent bookmaker in Ireland. Headquartered in Dundalk, County Louth, Boylesports has 161 retail branches throughout the country. In addition to their retail stores, Boylesports operates a telephone betting service, "Fon-A-Bet", and Internet-based betting and gaming...
, who had suspended wagering on the bout due to the unusual betting patterns, had chosen not to reply to the investigators' queries.
Gomez later explained the loss by saying that "it was all very simple, I just came to a decision in there that I need to retire from boxing full stop".
Gomez further indicated that he planned to pursue a career in body building. McDonagh, meanwhile, claimed that he had won because Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
had helped him mentally prepare for the fight.