Kevin Barry (boxer)

Kevin Michael Joseph Barry (born October 10, 1959 in Christchurch ) is a former New Zealand boxer and current boxing trainer. Barry was Oceanic Champion from 1982–1985 and silver medalist at the 1984 Olympic Games .

Career

In 1982 Barry was oceanic light heavyweight champion (-81 kg) and won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games . The following year he defended his Oceanic title and won the Commonwealth Championships. In 1984 he became ocean champion for the third time.

Barry achieved the greatest sporting success at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles . After victories over Don Smith, Trinidad and Tobago (5: 0), Jonathan Kirisa, Uganda (3: 2), and Jean-Paul Nanga, Cameroon (4: 1), he reached the semi-finals, where he was on the later heavyweight World Champion Evander Holyfield met. In the fight against the clearly dominant Holyfield, Kevin Barry went KO . After a controversial decision by the Yugoslav referee who disqualified Holyfield for knocking out after the break, Barry was awarded the silver medal. In the final, however, Barry was not allowed to box due to the KO suffered, so that the Yugoslav Anton Josipović became Olympic champion without a fight.

After the Olympic Games, Barry was again oceanic champion and then switched to professional business, but without achieving any notable success. In the years 1985 to 1991 he played 20 fights of which he won ten, five by knockout, and lost 10. He won the heavyweight title of the "Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation" (OPBF), but lost it again in the next fight. His two attempts to win the Australian heavyweight title were unsuccessful.

Kevin Barry remained connected to boxing even after his career ended. He trained and managed the Samoan-New Zealand boxer David Tua and various other young boxers.

Web links

• Kevin Barry in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )