When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

We`ve just marked the twenty-eighth anniversary of when Wayne “Pocket Rocket” McCullough became the first Irish and UK fighter to travel into the daunting lion`s den of Japan and win a world title….and it was The Green and Gold Belt!

Wayne, who`d won a Silver Medal in the 1992 Olympics, had caught the discerning eye of brilliant and legendary Coach Eddie Futch, and the youngster from Shankill, Belfast took up the invitation, audaciously skipped across The Pond to train with the Old Master in the United States.

 On that fabled night on July 30th 1995 in the Aichi Prefectural Gym, Nagoya, Japan, barely two and a half years since turning pro, after twelve superb and thrilling rounds, Wayne defeated Japanese Yasuei Yakushiji by split decision to become the WBC bantamweight Champion. The celebrations in Ireland and the UK were heartfelt, joyful and prolnged. A staggering achievement, a first fisticuff triumph.

Throughtout his illustrous career of 27-7, 18 KO`s, Wayne who is five feet seven tall with a sixty six inches reach, displayed an iron will, an iron determination and an iron chin! It took real mettle, fortitude and the constitution we call sheer guts, to win Green and Gold.

But he was also tutored adeptly deftly and assuredly, by Maestro Eddie, who was the genius creator of champions/world beaters! Wayne, learned to anticipate punches, slip them and parry them to establish a superb defence to reinforce his engine room firebox. He said: “I learned from the GREAT Eddie Futch. You couldn`t get a better boxing education than that!”

It almost seems like yesterday! It was a Yours Truly Great Day for Ireland and Great Britain and of course for Wayne. The courage to make this trip far away from home, stick to the task and through ringcraft, ring IQ and ring generalship achieve a fabulous plus simultaneously historic victory.

There will never again be a First, quite like it!