Damaen Kelly
Encyclopedia
Damaen Kelly (also incorrectly known as Damien Kelly) is a former professional boxer
from Belfast
, Northern Ireland
, who represented the Republic of Ireland
at international level. Kelly fought his final professional fights in the Bantamweight
division but was more noted for boxing in the Flyweight
division. Kelly was considered to be a gifted textbook boxer but one who lacked real knockout power.
at club level, Kelly fought out of the Holy Trinity Boxing club in the Turf Lodge area of West Belfast
. At national level Kelly boxed for the Republic of Ireland and won the national title five times. During his career fighting for the national team he won a bronze medal at the Flyweight
division during the World Amateur Boxing Championships
in 1993 in Tampere
, Finland.
In 1996, Kelly
followed that bronze medal
with another bronze medal
at the European Amateur Boxing Championships
in Vejle
, Denmark
. The bronze medal Kelly won at the European Championship in Vejle gave him automatic qualification for the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, U.S.
, where he reached the quarterfinals.
, Belfast, County Antrim
, Northern Ireland, with a first round knockout of Welshman Chris Thomas on a card that included Steve Robinson, Julius Francis
and fellow Northern Irishman Neil Sinclair
.
Flyweight Title in Chester
, England
. Kelly won this fight on points over twelve rounds.
Kelly's next fight, in May 1999, was against Scottish
boxer Keith Knox, who had been knocked out by Lambarda earlier in 1998, for the Commonwealth
and British
Flyweight Titles. Kelly was leading on points when the fight was stopped in the sixth round due to cuts, Kelly had a number of cuts to his hairline and a bad cut above his right eye when the referee stopped the fight sending Kelly to suffer his first defeat as a professional.
Kelly returned to the ring five months later and won the WBC
International Super Flyweight
Title against Russian Igor Gerassimov. Kelly quickly added the European (EBU) Flyweight Title in February 2000 and the IBO Flyweight Title in September 2000. Kelly's winning streak continued with a further addition to his record when he added the WBF
Flyweight Title in May 2002.
Jovy Oracion in October 2002, Kelly was then out of the ring for almost a full year and only returned in September 2003 to an unexpected fight against Colombian
champion Irene Pacheco
at the Salón Jumbo del Country Club, Barranquilla
, Atlantico
, Colombia
for the IBF
Flyweight Title.
Kelly was the major underdog going into the fight as Pacheco was highly rated and as, with the exception of a fight against Mike Thomas in the United States
in 1998, Kelly
had never fought as a professional outside of Ireland and Britain.
Pacheco proved to strong for Kelly and Kelly's lack of power was highlighted when he was unable to answer the barrage of head and body punches from Pachero. Kelly was knocked to the floor three times in round six before the fight was stopped in round seven.
's Jason Booth
to again win the IBO Title but this time at the higher weight of Super Flyweight
. This win lined Kelly up with a fight against Australian based Armenian
Vic Darchinyan
again for the IBF title in November 2005 but this fight fell through after a dispute as to whether the fight should take place in Sydney
, Australia
or somewhere in Ireland
or Great Britain
and a dispute over the purse. Kelly's future then looked uncertain although he did face and defeat Ian Napa
in Liverpool on the day he was supposed to face Darchinyan, beating Napa on points.
Simone Maludrottu
at the Andersonstown
Leisure Centre in Belfast. Kelly was attempting to become the first Irishman to capture the European
(EBU) Bantamweight Title and the first Irish fighter to win the European title at two different weights.
Maludrottu was the naturally bigger man and carried more power having fought at Bantamweight for the majority of his career however Kelly possessed the faster hands and higher technical ability. Kelly's footwork and precise darting jabs frustrated Maludrottu as Kelly stayed out of his range leaving him unable to make his superior power pay. Despite this Maludrottu won an extremely controversial decision by a unanimous points decision. Punch stats showed the that Kelly landed 155 punches while the Maludrottu landed only 87 and the vast majority of onlookers believed that Kelly had won a fairly comfortable decision, but the Sardinian was given the verdict by all three judges. Kelly's promoter Tommy Gilmour stated that "that was shameful. It was the biggest robbery I've seen in 35 years of boxing".
In the following rematch in Maludrottu's hometown of Olbia
, Sardinia
, Italy
on 25 November 2006, Maludrottu stopped Kelly inside three rounds after Kelly's trainer Mickey Hawkins threw in the towel. Kelly announced his retirement immediately after the fight stating "the time has come for me to walk away. The defeat on Saturday night just confirmed that to me. Every sportsman comes to a point when they know they are at that stage when it is time to go. I've had a great career with highs and lows and I've achieved an awful lot". This was to be Kelly's last fight although he was still the number one ranked Irish bantamweight boxer at the time.
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...
from 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...
, 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...
, who represented the Republic of 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,...
at international level. Kelly fought his final professional fights 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 was more noted for boxing in the Flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
division. Kelly was considered to be a gifted textbook boxer but one who lacked real knockout power.
Background
Kelly was born and brought up in Belfast where he still lives with his wife, Margaret, and four children.Amateur career
As an amateurIrish Amateur Boxing Association
The Irish Amateur Boxing Association is the governing body of amateur boxing in Ireland. It was founded in 1911 following a meeting in Dublin.-Structure:...
at club level, Kelly fought out of the Holy Trinity Boxing club in the Turf Lodge area of West 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...
. At national level Kelly boxed for the Republic of Ireland and won the national title five times. During his career fighting for the national team he won a bronze medal at the Flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
division during the World Amateur Boxing Championships
1993 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 1993 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Tampere, Finland from May 7 to 16. The seventh edition of this competition, held nearly a year after the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, was organised by the Tampere Boxing Association, member of the Finnish Boxing Association...
in 1993 in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland.
In 1996, Kelly
Kelly
- People :* Kelly , an English-language unisex given name* Kelly , an English-language version of an Irish surname* Clan Kelly, a Scottish clan* The Kelly Family, an Irish-American-European music group...
followed that bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
with another bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the European Amateur Boxing Championships
European Amateur Boxing Championships
The European Amateur Boxing Championships is the highest competition for boxing amateurs in Europe, organised by the continent's governing body EUBC, which stands for the European Boxing Confederation...
in Vejle
Vejle
Vejle is a town in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle and Grejs Rivers and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality and the Region of Southern Denmark...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The bronze medal Kelly won at the European Championship in Vejle gave him automatic qualification for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he reached the quarterfinals.
Olympic Results
Member of the 1996 Irish Olympic Team as a Flyweight. His results were:- Defeated Yuliyan StrogovYuliyan StrogovYuliyan Mikhaylov Strogov is a boxer from Bulgaria.At the 1992 Summer Olympics he was stopped in the second round of the Men's Flyweight division by eventual bronze medalist Timothy Austin of the USA....
(Bulgaria) 12-11 - Defeated Hussein HusseinHussein HusseinHussein Hussein is a retired male boxer from Australia. He represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was stopped in the second round of the men's flyweight division by Ireland's Damaen Kelly.-References:*...
(Australia) 27-20 - Lost to Bulat JumadilovBulat JumadilovBulat Jumadilov is a Kazakh boxer who competed in the Men's Flyweight at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal. Four years earlier at the 1996 Summer Olympics he also captured the silver medal...
(Kazakhstan) 6-13
Debut
Kelly, under the mentorship of Mickey Hawkins, then turned professional in September 1997, gaining a victory in his debut fight at the Ulster HallUlster Hall
The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade B1 listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences...
, 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, with a first round knockout of Welshman Chris Thomas on a card that included Steve Robinson, Julius Francis
Julius Francis
Julius Francis is a former British Heavyweight champion boxer - who participated in many noteworthy boxing matches in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2007 he also participated in a mixed martial arts bout....
and fellow Northern Irishman Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair aka Sinky is a professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side.-Amateur career:...
.
Initial title fights
Kelly fought and won his first seven fights, five by knockout, before he had a chance to fight for his first title belt December 1998 when he challenged Zimbabwian Alfonso Zvenyika Lambarda for his CommonwealthCommonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
Flyweight Title in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, 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...
. Kelly won this fight on points over twelve rounds.
Kelly's next fight, in May 1999, was against 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...
boxer Keith Knox, who had been knocked out by Lambarda earlier in 1998, for the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Flyweight Titles. Kelly was leading on points when the fight was stopped in the sixth round due to cuts, Kelly had a number of cuts to his hairline and a bad cut above his right eye when the referee stopped the fight sending Kelly to suffer his first defeat as a professional.
Kelly returned to the ring five months later and won the 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...
International Super Flyweight
Super Flyweight
Super flyweight is a weight division in professional boxing. It is alternatively referred to as junior bantamweight and light bantamweight...
Title against Russian Igor Gerassimov. Kelly quickly added the European (EBU) Flyweight Title in February 2000 and the IBO Flyweight Title in September 2000. Kelly's winning streak continued with a further addition to his record when he added the WBF
World Boxing Foundation
The World Boxing Foundation was formed in 2004 to sanction championship boxing contests but has a history dating back to 1988 via its predecessor the World Boxing Federation...
Flyweight Title in May 2002.
IBF world title fight in Colombia
After a win over FilipinoFilipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
Jovy Oracion in October 2002, Kelly was then out of the ring for almost a full year and only returned in September 2003 to an unexpected fight against Colombian
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
champion Irene Pacheco
Irene Pacheco
Irene Pacheco also known as Mambaco is a Colombian boxer former world champion in the IBF Flyweight category....
at the Salón Jumbo del Country Club, Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, Atlantico
Atlántico Department
Atlántico is a department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its south, and the Magdalena Department to its east separated by the Magdalena River...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
for the IBF
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
Flyweight Title.
Kelly was the major underdog going into the fight as Pacheco was highly rated and as, with the exception of a fight against Mike Thomas in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1998, Kelly
Kelly
- People :* Kelly , an English-language unisex given name* Kelly , an English-language version of an Irish surname* Clan Kelly, a Scottish clan* The Kelly Family, an Irish-American-European music group...
had never fought as a professional outside of Ireland and Britain.
Pacheco proved to strong for Kelly and Kelly's lack of power was highlighted when he was unable to answer the barrage of head and body punches from Pachero. Kelly was knocked to the floor three times in round six before the fight was stopped in round seven.
Cancelled Darchinyan fight
Kelly again returned to boxing, now under the guidance of Tommy Gilmour to rebuild his career and after two more wins in his native Belfast he defeated NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
's Jason Booth
Jason Booth
Jason Booth is a British professional boxer who has competed in the flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions. He is the current holder of the British and Commonwealth super bantamweight championships...
to again win the IBO Title but this time at the higher weight of Super Flyweight
Super Flyweight
Super flyweight is a weight division in professional boxing. It is alternatively referred to as junior bantamweight and light bantamweight...
. This win lined Kelly up with a fight against Australian based Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
Vic Darchinyan
Vic Darchinyan
Vakhtang "Vic" Darchinyan is an Armenian professional boxer discovered by HyeFighters. He is a three-division world champion, having won eight titles in three different weight classes. He is a former IBF Flyweight World Champion and a former Undisputed WBA, WBC & IBF Super Flyweight World...
again for the IBF title in November 2005 but this fight fell through after a dispute as to whether the fight should take place in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
or somewhere in 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...
or Great 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...
and a dispute over the purse. Kelly's future then looked uncertain although he did face and defeat Ian Napa
Ian Napa
Ian Napa is a British boxer originally from Zimbabwe but now living in London. He is the former European bantamweight champion and is a former two time holder of the British bantamweight title.-Early professional career:...
in Liverpool on the day he was supposed to face Darchinyan, beating Napa on points.
Maludrottu controversy
In April 2006, Kelly challenged ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Simone Maludrottu
Simone Maludrottu
Simone Maludrottu is a professional boxer from Olbia, Sardinia, Italy. Maludrottu fights in the Bantamweight division and in the current European title holder.-Debut:...
at the Andersonstown
Andersonstown
Andersonstown is a suburb of Belfast, Northern Ireland.It is overshadowed by the Black Mountain and Divis Mountain and contains a mixture of public and private housing. It is largely populated by the Irish nationalist and Roman Catholic community...
Leisure Centre in Belfast. Kelly was attempting to become the first Irishman to capture the European
European Boxing Union
The European Boxing Union is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.-History:The EBU started life as the International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910...
(EBU) Bantamweight Title and the first Irish fighter to win the European title at two different weights.
Maludrottu was the naturally bigger man and carried more power having fought at Bantamweight for the majority of his career however Kelly possessed the faster hands and higher technical ability. Kelly's footwork and precise darting jabs frustrated Maludrottu as Kelly stayed out of his range leaving him unable to make his superior power pay. Despite this Maludrottu won an extremely controversial decision by a unanimous points decision. Punch stats showed the that Kelly landed 155 punches while the Maludrottu landed only 87 and the vast majority of onlookers believed that Kelly had won a fairly comfortable decision, but the Sardinian was given the verdict by all three judges. Kelly's promoter Tommy Gilmour stated that "that was shameful. It was the biggest robbery I've seen in 35 years of boxing".
In the following rematch in Maludrottu's hometown of Olbia
Olbia
Olbia is a town and comune of 56,231 inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia , in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism.-Geography:It is the...
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on 25 November 2006, Maludrottu stopped Kelly inside three rounds after Kelly's trainer Mickey Hawkins threw in the towel. Kelly announced his retirement immediately after the fight stating "the time has come for me to walk away. The defeat on Saturday night just confirmed that to me. Every sportsman comes to a point when they know they are at that stage when it is time to go. I've had a great career with highs and lows and I've achieved an awful lot". This was to be Kelly's last fight although he was still the number one ranked Irish bantamweight boxer at the time.
See also
- List of boxing triple champions