The former boxing champion Barry McGuigan has been captivating audiences with his emotional honesty and straightforward approach to drama on ITV’s reality show
Despite only being in the show’s first week, Barry has left a significant impression on viewers. However, Barry’s life has been a rollercoaster ride behind the scenes, marked by personal tragedies and near-fatal incidents due to his time in the ring.
Barry’s boxing career began to soar in the 1970s as he ascended the ranks to secure a place on Ireland’s Olympic team for the 1980 Games in Moscow. After two years, he left amateur boxing to become a professional featherweight fighter.
1982 Barry was on a roll, winning seven out of his last eight fights. However, one of these fights nearly ended his career.
On June 14, 1982, Barry faced Young Ali, defeating him after just six rounds.
:
Barry was a force to be reckoned with as a young boxer. (Image: Getty Images)
Tragically, after the bout, Ali entered a coma and died just two days later, leaving Barry heartbroken. The devastating event nearly saw him hang up his gloves for good, but he found the strength to press on with his remarkable boxing journey.
Kidnap fears gripped Barry at the peak of his boxing career, with security ramped up due to his burgeoning fame in the ring.
Recounting those tense times, Barry opened up about a chilling incident: “I was told there was a plot to kidnap me. Security forces on both sides of the border were keeping an eye on me.”
The threat emerged around the same period as the vanishing of racehorse Shergar.
Don’t miss… [NEWS]
Barry lost his beloved daughter Danica to cancer in 2019. (Image: Getty Images)
Promoters took extra precautions to ensure Barry wouldn’t face the same fate. Additionally, amidst the strife of The Troubles in Ireland, Barry was armed for personal protection and instructed in its use, revealing: “So I was issued with a gun, and the police taught me how to shoot it.”
Beyond sporting triumphs, Barry faced profound personal struggles. His family, no strangers to battles outside the ring, confronted cancer head-on.
Barry’s daughter Danika fought courageously against the disease not once but twice before her untimely death in 2019.
Danika was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the tender age of 11 in 1997. Following two gruelling years of chemotherapy, she triumphed over the disease, which propelled her into a cherished acting career.
Yet, in a cruel twist of fate, June 2019 saw cancer rear its ugly head once more when Danika received a stage four bowel cancer diagnosis, and she tragically succumbed to the illness a mere five weeks later.
In a heartfelt interview with Belfast Live in 2021, two years post Danika’s passing, Barry confessed he will “never recover” from the heartache of losing her but pledged to persevere in honour of her legacy.