Ray Close, the Belfast boxer who virtually handed Chris Eubank the first defeat of his profession, has died at the age of 57.
One of the most gifted boxers Northern Ireland has produced, Close was born in 1969 and turned skilled in 1988 after a adorned novice profession.
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Close won the EBU Super Middleweight title on St Patrick’s Day in 1993 but it was his bouts against Eubank for which he will be most remembered.
Eubank, who had won all 35 of his skilled bouts, was the defending WBO super-middleweight champion in May 1993 but Close pushed him all the approach in Glasgow and the pair could not be separated on the scorecards.
A rematch took place at a raucous King’s Hall in Belfast the following 12 months and Close put in another robust efficiency but lost on a break up choice.
A 3rd struggle was scheduled to take place but Close’s boxing licence was revoked by the British Boxing Board of Control before it could take place after a MRI scan revealed two lesions on his mind.
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Close would later return to the ring after acquiring a licence in the USA and he won all 5 of his bouts in Illinois, the last of which was a knockout victory over Larry Willis in June 1997.
His skilled document reads as 25 victories, three defeats and one draw – which came against Eubank.
‘A real gentleman’
Close’s skilled document reads as 25 victories, three defeats and one draw – which came against Eubank. [Getty Images]
Ledley Hall Youth and Boxing Club in east Belfast, where Close began his boxing journey as a 10-year-old, led tributes and said he was a “true gentleman, humble, kind and always willing to give something back”.
“To our young people, Ray was proof of what could be achieved,” the membership posted on Facebook.
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“He was someone who had come through the same doors, trained in the same club and gone on to accomplish incredible things.”
The membership added that Close’s story has “inspired generations of young people at Ledley Hall and will continue to do so”.
“There are some people who become part of the history and heart of a place, and Ray will always be part of ours.
“We will bear in mind him with huge satisfaction, affection and gratitude.”
Bangor Abbey Boxing Academy, where Close had trained, said he will be a “large loss to the boxing fraternity of Ireland and across the world”.
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“Ray and his complete household have been a large half of our membership over the years, proper from the very begin and we are really devastated.”
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