FIGHT ARCHIVE
According to US Boxing Historian, Larry
Merchant "If you were to look up "tough
Irishman" in the dictionary, you would find
a picture of Wayne McCullough”. And who
could argue with him.
Wayne William McCullough was born in Belfast,
Northern Ireland on 7th July 1970. Although he was
brought up on the tough Loyalist area of the
Shankill Road, he was always proud to don the
green of Ireland when representing his country and
also never used any National Anthems when
entering the ring as a professional. It was this
attitude and personal outlook that, not unlike Barry
McGuigan before him, brought both Catholics and
Protestants together to support them throughout
their career.
As an amateur, McCullough participated in the
1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea (where he
proudly carried the Irish flag at the Opening
Ceremony and went on to win a silver medal for
Ireland at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona,
and a gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth
Games in Auckland, where he was also honoured
to carry the Northern Ireland flag in the closing
ceremony while representing that country.
McCullough also won Bronze for Ireland at the
World Cup in Bombay, India in 1990, before moving
from Northern Ireland to Las Vegas to begin his
professional career in 1993.
In 1993 Wayne moved to Las Vegas to train under
acclaimed trainer and coach Eddie Futch, who
agreed to train him after seeing him at the
Olympics. Within a year of turning pro, he had won
the North American Boxing Federation title.
Throughout his glittering and sometimes heart
wrenching career, McCullough faced the biggest
hitters in World Boxing, most notably Prince
Naseem Hamed and the legendary Erik Morales.
McCullough unsuccessfully challenged champions
Naseem Hamed in 1998, and Erik Morales in 1999.
Both exciting "Fight Of The Year" contenders, he
broke both of their incredible KO streaks while
taking them the distance. Hamed had knocked out
18 opponents straight before McCullough, he was
30-0 at the time with 28 knockouts to his credit.
Morales had knocked out 9 of his previous 9
opponents and was 34-0 at the time also with 28
Knockouts.
Morales stated that McCullough gave him one of
the top three fights of his career and almost quit on
his stool in the 9th round (according to RING
magazine).
It was battles like these that earned him the status
of having a cast iron chin. It was his amazing
endurance and the heart of a proud lion that
propelled him to greatness and also a foll ?v??p?&V6???rv?&?Gv?FR???vWfW"??Bv2??F?R3F???V???RF?Bv??R?47V???Vv?6V?V?FVB??0??6R??F?R?V'G2?bf?v?Bf?2WfW'?v?W&R???&FW"F?f?v?Bf?"F?Rt$2&?F?vV?v?Bv?&?@?6?????6????47V???Vv??BF?G&fV?F?F?P?6?????2&6??&B?6???F?B7V??W"WfV???r??F?R?6?WB&?6?WBF??????7VV???W6????????v????????W6?????BfW'???&W76?fP?&V6?&BWF?F??2f?v?Bv?F?#Bv??2?"??76W2?B?G&r???b??2v??26?R'?v??b????R?@??WfW"FVfV?FVB??2F?F?R?WG6?FR???B?@??WfW"&VV?7F?VB????26&VW"??F?Rv?W ?V?F????2&WF?&V?V?B6??'F?gFW"F??2f?v?B?vVB????#r??2f"2F??2f?v?Bv?W2??B6W'F???v6?w@??47V???Vv?( ?2??7BW?6?F??rf?v?B'WBF?R???W"?`???2v???B??2W&f?&??6RF?&?Vv??WBF?RV?F?&WG???bF?R&?WB6W'F????W7F?f?W2?B&V??r&???VB6?76?2??g&??F?Rf?'7B&V????47V???Vv?v2W?bF?R7F??????R?????76????BV?FW"F?RGWFV?vR?`?gWF6???RvfRF?R&W7B&????rF?7???b??0?6&VW"??WF?F??2F??47V???Vv?F?W6?( ?BfVV??Rv?BF?P?&V6?v??F???f?"??2W&f?&??6RF?B??v?B??66?&F??rF?v??R???6V?b??W6????( ?BF?R&W7@??"??F?R'W6??W72?6????&FW"F?v????BF??VffV7F?fV??WB?"F?R?&&W.( ???BF?N( ?2v?B?P?F?B?#??????D?????