Neil McLaughlin boxer

Neil McLaughlin (10 May 1948 – 23 December 2013) was an Irish professional boxer. As an amateur, he won several regional and national titles, including winning the All-Ireland title in 1971 and 1972. He won a bronze medal at the 1971 European Amateur Boxing Championships before competing in the men's flyweight event at the 1972 Summer Olympics, where he reached the quarter-finals.He turned professional in 1976 and won the Northern Irish bantamweight title the following year after stopping Terry Hanna in the fifth round. However, he lost the title in his first defense against Davy Larmour in 1978. He later unsuccessfully challenged for the Commonwealth flyweight title before fighting for the last time in 1982. He also became involved in politics with Sinn Féin and was present at the events of Bloody Sunday in 1972.Neil McLaughlin was born in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. He developed an interest in gymnastics and hoped to take on the sport full time until a disagreement with a coach at his club led him to quit.On the advice of a friend, he instead attended St. Eugene's Boxing Club and quickly proved himself adept at boxing, later stating that he fell into the sport "by mistake". He won schoolboy boxing titles at regional and national levels before being selected to represent Ireland for the first time in 1969, travelling to Dundee for a meeting with Scotland. He competed in the 1971 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Madrid, where he was one of three Irish boxers to claim a bronze medal, and won his first All-Ireland title the same year. He would retain the title the following year and was also chosen to compete in the men's flyweight event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.At the games, McLaughlin recorded a points victory over Sudanese fighter Mohamed Abakkar in the first round before receiving a bye in the second. In the third round, he met Egyptian fighter Mohamed Selim Soheim, stopping his opponent in the second round. He was defeated by eventual silver medalist, Ugandan Leo Rwabwogo in the quarter-finals.