John Duddy

John Francis Duddy (born 19 June 1979) is an Irish actor and former professional boxer who fought from 2003 to 2010.

He challenged once for the vacant WBC Silver middleweight title, losing in his final fight to Julio César Chávez Jr.

As an amateur Duddy fought 130 times, winning 100 of his bouts.

Duddy won his first Irish national title at the age of 15 as a Light Middleweight in the Junior Division, later winning Irish titles at the Intermediate and Elite Levels.

He represented Ireland at European level and during Olympic qualifiers.

Duddy turned professional September 2003, and his first fight as a pro was fight Tarek Rashed in the Bronx, New York.

He won via first-round knockout.

On 22 November, he stopped Jesse Gomez at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

His next bout was also at the Crowne Plaza, where he beat Leo Laudat on 21 December but suffered his first knockdown.

Duddy began 2004 by stepping up his opponent quality a notch, when he met Ken Hock on 9 January 2004 in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Hock had ten victories against four losses and one draw (tie) coming into his bout with Duddy.

Hock became the first boxer to go more than one round against Duddy, but still lost by knockout to the Irish prospect in the fourth round.

He then experienced his career's longest lay-off, waiting over nine months before his next bout.

When he returned, he once again won by first-round knockout, defeating Victor Paz on 30 October at Middletown, New York.

Duddy quickly returned to action after that fight, beating William Johnson on 18 November in Manhattan.

Duddy's last fight of 2004 came on 12 December at Brighton Beach, Brooklyn against the then undefeated Glen Dunnings.

Dunnings became only the second boxer to go more than one round against Duddy, when he was knocked out in the fifth round.

Duddy's first fight of 2005 came on 4 February, when he beat Chuck Orso in White Plains.

On 18 March, Duddy fought the undefeated prospect Leonard Pierre as part of an Irish themed "day after Saint Patrick's Day card".

This undercard was televised in the United States on ESPN, with Duddy and Pierre fighting the semi-main event of the card, which was headlined by heavyweight Kevin McBride, who later defeated Mike Tyson.

Both the live crowd and the television announcers expected an early knockout in this fight, given that Pierre also had six first-round knockout wins.

Duddy proceeded to drop Pierre twice before experienced referee Frank Cappuccino stopped the fight, giving Duddy his seventh first-round knockout, and his ninth consecutive knockout victory.

On 11 June 2005, Duddy was up against Patrick Thompson in Madison Square Garden.

Thompson became the third boxer to last the first round, and both fighters boxed to a judge's decision.

The score on all three cards was 80–72 in favor of Duddy, who extended his win streak to ten, while his knockout streak ended at nine.

In his next eight fights, Duddy knocked out six opponents, including first round knock outs of both Joseph Brady (17 September 2005) and Shelby Pudwill (16 March 2006).

On the undercard of 10 June 2006 Miguel Cotto–Paul Malignaggi Top Rank Pay-Per-View fight, Duddy took on the experienced fighter Alfredo Cuevas, who in 2004 went the 12 round distance with former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.

It was Duddy's eighth fight in less than a year and his third at Madison Square Garden, but he showed no signs of fatigue, fighting Cuevas for 7 rounds before Cuevas retired on his stool with a broken nose and several deep cuts.

His next fight came against Yori Boy Campas, again at Madison Square Garden.

Against an opponent with ten times more professional experience, Duddy went the distance, winning in a unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

On 16 March 2007, he beat Anthony Bonsante at Madison Square Garden.

Duddy won with a unanimous 90–81, 89-82 and 88-83 decision when the fight was stopped after the ninth round by referee Steve Smoger, due to heavy bleeding from Bonsante's forehead caused by an earlier accidental headbutt.

On 14 July 2007, Duddy fought the first of his two scheduled fights in what has been billed as his "Homecoming" to Ireland.

In his first at the National Stadium in Dublin, his opponent was Alessio Furlan.

On 24 April 2009, Duddy was beaten via ten-round split decision by Billy Lyell, a fighter with seven losses in his twenty-five fights.

Duddy was ruled the winner by TKO with only 10 seconds to go in the 10th and final round.

John then went on to defeat Prince Arron in 2 rounds on 20 October in Dublin's National Stadium.

He fought Howard Eastman at the King's Hall in Belfast on 8 December.

The fight was expected to be his toughest to date.

In front of 5,500 supporters, Duddy recorded a ten-round 96-94 points victory.