Vinny Feeney
Encyclopedia
Vincent "Vinny" Feeney, (born 12 May 1973, Sligo
, Ireland
) who boxed
under the name Vince Feeney with the nickname
of "the Sligo Kid", is a former professional boxer
from the Maugheraboy area of Sligo Town.
For the majority of his professional career, Feeney fought in the bantamweight
division but also competed at divisions either side.
titles and an All-Ireland title.
He continued his boxing education in Dublin with Paddy Keogh and won a further three All-Ireland titles along with Leinster
and Dublin titles as well as representing Ireland
in the national team.
Feeney, who was mentored by his father, John, then moved to London
to further his career. On his first day in London the pair visited the Thomas A Beckett Gym on the Old Kent Road
in south east London and Feeney was invited by trainer Howard Rainey to return the following day to try out as a professional.
The next day Feeney sparred
for six rounds with Colin McMillan, the then world featherweight
champion. Feeney returned again to the gym the following day to be met by one of his childhood hero's Barry McGuigan
who supervised his workout and advised Feeney to become a professional stating that he had "the right style, having good upper body movement, good body shots and power" in his punches.
base in north west London
. He was a popular fighter and attracted a large following amongst the London Irish
community. Feeney had a bright start to his professional career but suffered from a number of controversial decisions which effected the progression of his career.
, London
, England
. In this fight Feeney drew with Bradford
bantamweight
Adey Benton over six rounds the undercard of a bill that included Cornelius Carr.
at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London for the WBC International bantamweight title. Feeney come out to much fanfare with Irish dancers leading a Feeney, bedecked in tricolor
poncho, headband
and shorts
, to the ring. However, after six furious rounds of boxing Perdomo overhelmed Feeney and stop the Sligonian.
Feeney then won three fights in quick succession and earned a rematch with Perdomo in November 1996. Feeney featured on top of the bill again at the York Hall with a card that also featured Nikolay Valuev, John Ruiz
and David Starie
.
, Bethnal Green
, London for the vacant British southern area
bantamweight title. Feeney defeated the London based Ghana
n boxer on points over ten rounds.
against Belfast
's Tommy "Willo The Wisp" Waite. The fight took place in Waite's hometown on the undercard of the Darren Corbert v Robert Norton fight at the Maysfield Leisure Centre, Belfast, County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. Going into the fight Feeney was the bookies
favourite and had more experience than Waite.
Waite won the fight on points after ten rounds in what were controversial circumstances. The Sky Sports
ringside
commentators and the Punchstat statistics as well as journalists from the boxing trading magazines including Boxing News
all showed that Feeney had won the fight clearly. The decision cost Feeney an opportunity of fighting for the European bantamweight title against Johnny Bredahl
from Denmark.
When Feeney's manager Frank Maloney
returned to Britain
after signing a World Heavyweight
unification fight deal between WBC
champion Lennox Lewis
and Evander Holyfield
in Las Vegas
he viewed a videotape of the fight. Maloney was so outraged by the decision that he stated the he would be filing the strongest possible protest with both the British Boxing Board of Control
and the Irish Boxing Board of Control as a result of the decision. Maloney claimed that "I have never seen such a diabolical decision in all my life. It was a disgrace. Letters of protest will be filed with the Irish boxing authority, the British Boxing Board of Control and the European Boxing Union. I will ask that they overturn the decision, declare the result void, a no contest".
based super bantamweight
John Matthews, however, he suffered a cut during training and had to postponed a fight. The bout was rescheduled to August 1998 and took place at the Town Hall, Acton
, London on the bill dubbed "Double trouble". Feeney defeated Matthews on points over ten rounds to retain his southern area title and this led to Feeney getting a shot at a world title belt.
Feeney was to fly out to South Africa
to challenge for the IBO
super bantamweight title against Simon Ramoni. However, hours before Feeney was to board a flight at Heathrow Airport to Durban
he received a report that an irregularity had shown up during his medical check and that he had failed a routine MRI scan
which he had undertaken earlier that year. Feeney was devastated by the news that ended his dreams of becoming a world champion.
Feeney subsequently retired from professional boxing for health reasons.
during professional bouts.
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
) who boxed
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
under the name Vince Feeney with the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
of "the Sligo Kid", is a former 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...
from the Maugheraboy area of Sligo Town.
For the majority of his professional career, Feeney fought in the bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
division but also competed at divisions either side.
Amateur career
Feeney began boxing as an amateur at the age of 14 under the tutelage of Christy Houze, at the Innisfree Boxing Club in Sligo. During his time under Houze he won three ConnachtConnacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
titles and an All-Ireland title.
He continued his boxing education in Dublin with Paddy Keogh and won a further three All-Ireland titles along with Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
and Dublin titles as well as representing 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...
in the national team.
Feeney, who was mentored by his father, John, then moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to further his career. On his first day in London the pair visited the Thomas A Beckett Gym on the Old Kent Road
Old Kent Road
The Old Kent Road is a road in South East London, England and forms part of Watling Street, the Roman road which ran from Dover to Holyhead. The street is famous as the equal cheapest property on the London Monopoly board and as the only one in South London....
in south east London and Feeney was invited by trainer Howard Rainey to return the following day to try out as a professional.
The next day Feeney sparred
Sparring
Sparring is a form of training common to many martial arts. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to make injuries unlikely...
for six rounds with Colin McMillan, the then world featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
champion. Feeney returned again to the gym the following day to be met by one of his childhood hero's Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...
who supervised his workout and advised Feeney to become a professional stating that he had "the right style, having good upper body movement, good body shots and power" in his punches.
Professional career
Feeney trained in Kilburn and fought out of his NeasdenNeasden
Neasden is an area in northwest London, UK. It forms part of the London Borough of Brent.-History:The area was recorded as Neasdun in 939 AD and the name is derived from the Old English nēos = 'nose' and dūn = 'hill'. It means 'the nose-shaped hill' referring to a well-defined landmark of this area...
base in north west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was a popular fighter and attracted a large following amongst the London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
community. Feeney had a bright start to his professional career but suffered from a number of controversial decisions which effected the progression of his career.
Debut
Feeney had his first professional fight in October 1992, which took place at the Bayswater ArenaBayswater
Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In this fight Feeney drew with Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
Adey Benton over six rounds the undercard of a bill that included Cornelius Carr.
WBC International bantamweight title
Feeney's first title fight came in December 1995 against Willy Perdomo of the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London for the WBC International bantamweight title. Feeney come out to much fanfare with Irish dancers leading a Feeney, bedecked in tricolor
Flag of Ireland
The national flag of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green , white, and orange. It is also known as the Irish tricolour. The flag proportion is 1:2...
poncho, headband
Headband
A headband is a clothing accessory worn in the hair or around the forehead, usually to hold hair away from the face or eyes. Headbands generally consist of a loop of elastic material or a horseshoe-shaped piece of flexible plastic or metal...
and shorts
Shorts
Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
, to the ring. However, after six furious rounds of boxing Perdomo overhelmed Feeney and stop the Sligonian.
Feeney then won three fights in quick succession and earned a rematch with Perdomo in November 1996. Feeney featured on top of the bill again at the York Hall with a card that also featured Nikolay Valuev, John Ruiz
John Ruiz
John "The Quietman" Ruiz , is a former American professional boxer. Ruiz is the first Latino heavyweight champion and former two-time WBA heavyweight champion. After a professional career spanning over 18 years, Ruiz officially announced his retirement from the sport at a press conference on April...
and David Starie
David Starie
David Starie, in Bury St. Edmunds, England was a fringe British professional boxer. He is a former Commonwealth super middleweight champion and British super middleweight champion.-Professional career:...
.
Southern Area bantamweight title
His next shot at a title came in April 1997 against Francis Ampofo at the York HallYork Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
, Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, London for the vacant British southern area
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
bantamweight title. Feeney defeated the London based Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
n boxer on points over ten rounds.
Irish title controversy
Feeney then won a shot at the vacant Irish bantamweight titleBui
Bui may refer to:*Bui, a department of Northwest Province in Cameroon*Bùi, a common Vietnamese surname*An enemy character in the anime/manga YuYu HakushoThe acronym BUI may refer to:*Baptist Union of Ireland*Boating Under the Influence...
against Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
's Tommy "Willo The Wisp" Waite. The fight took place in Waite's hometown on the undercard of the Darren Corbert v Robert Norton fight at the Maysfield Leisure Centre, Belfast, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Going into the fight Feeney was the bookies
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 :...
favourite and had more experience than Waite.
Waite won the fight on points after ten rounds in what were controversial circumstances. The Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
ringside
Ringside
Ringside is an indie rock band from Hollywood, California, originally formed in Los Angeles. They specializing in fusing indie rock with electronic beats. The band consists of Scott Thomas, who does the vocals, guitar, and keyboard, Kirk Hellie , Sandy Chila , Max Allyn , and actor Balthazar Getty...
commentators and the Punchstat statistics as well as journalists from the boxing trading magazines including Boxing News
Boxing News
Boxing News is the longest-running boxing magazine still in publication, dating back to 1909. Owned by Newsquest Specialist Media .-History:Boxing News was founded in 1909 by original editor John Murray as, simply, Boxing...
all showed that Feeney had won the fight clearly. The decision cost Feeney an opportunity of fighting for the European bantamweight title against Johnny Bredahl
Johnny Bredahl
Johnny Bredahl , aka Johny Wahid Johansen, is a retired professional boxer in the bantamweight division. Bredahl is the former WBA world bantamweight champion...
from Denmark.
When Feeney's manager Frank Maloney
Frank Maloney
Frank Maloney is a boxing manager and promoter and United Kingdom Independence Party politician. He is most famous for managing Lennox Lewis to the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World.-Early life:...
returned to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
after signing a World Heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
unification fight deal between WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
champion Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
and Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
he viewed a videotape of the fight. Maloney was so outraged by the decision that he stated the he would be filing the strongest possible protest with both the British Boxing Board of Control
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff.- Councils :...
and the Irish Boxing Board of Control as a result of the decision. Maloney claimed that "I have never seen such a diabolical decision in all my life. It was a disgrace. Letters of protest will be filed with the Irish boxing authority, the British Boxing Board of Control and the European Boxing Union. I will ask that they overturn the decision, declare the result void, a no contest".
Denied world title fight after brain scan
In May 1998, Feeney was due to defend his British southern area bantamweight title against AldershotAldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
based super bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
John Matthews, however, he suffered a cut during training and had to postponed a fight. The bout was rescheduled to August 1998 and took place at the Town Hall, Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, London on the bill dubbed "Double trouble". Feeney defeated Matthews on points over ten rounds to retain his southern area title and this led to Feeney getting a shot at a world title belt.
Feeney was to fly out to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to challenge for the IBO
International Boxing Organization
The International Boxing Organization is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.- Origins :...
super bantamweight title against Simon Ramoni. However, hours before Feeney was to board a flight at Heathrow Airport to Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
he received a report that an irregularity had shown up during his medical check and that he had failed a routine MRI scan
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
which he had undertaken earlier that year. Feeney was devastated by the news that ended his dreams of becoming a world champion.
Feeney subsequently retired from professional boxing for health reasons.
Post retirement
In 1997, Feeney was voted Sligo Sports Person of the Year in the Boxing category. Since Feeney's retirement he has trained local youths at various Sligo boxing gyms and is employed as a Corner Inspector for 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 ....
during professional bouts.