The death has been announced of Irish boxing legend Danny McAlinden, 50 years on from one of the highlights of his career.
The Newry heavyweight, 73, fought on the Fight of the Century card in New York on this day half a century ago when he beat Rahmann Ali, brother of boxing legend Muhammad, on points.
“Danny McAlinden was just a better boxer than I was at the time,” said Rahman Ali later. “He handed me my first defeat as a professional. Although he was not able to knock me down, he won the fight fair and square. He was able to land more punches on me than I was able to land on him. It was a tough experience to go through and it was a setback to my boxing career.”
The main event that night at Madison Square Garden was the meeting of icon Ali and Joe Frazier, with the older brother also tasting defeat.
McAlinden was the first ever Irish fighter to become the British and Commonwealth champion in 1972 when he defeated Jack Bodell in two rounds at Villa Park in Birmingham, the Aston Villa football ground.
Bunny Johnson beat McAlinden three years later to become the first ever black man to be crowned British heavyweight champion.
He was touted as a potential opponent for world champion George Foreman in his first title defence before a dip in form lead to his retirement from professional boxing in 1981.
In total he had 45 fights with a 31–12–2 record, winning 28 by knockout.
The Down man moved to Coventry in England when he was still of school age and was reportedly diagnosed with tongue cancer back in 2010.
