John Duddy

John Francis Duddy (born 19 June 1979) is an Irish actor[2] and former professional boxer who fought from 2003 to 2010.[1] He challenged once for the vacant WBC Silver middleweight title, losing in his final fight to Julio César Chávez Jr.[3]

This article is about the boxer from Northern Ireland. For the Scottish murderer, see Shepherd's Bush murders.

John Duddy
Statistics
Real nameJohn Francis Duddy
Nickname(s)Ireland's John Duddy[1]
Weight(s)Middleweight
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Reach74 in (188 cm)
NationalityIrish
Born (1979-06-19) 19 June 1979
Derry, Northern Ireland
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights31
Wins59
Wins by KO35
Losses7

Amateur career

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.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Professional career

Debut

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.[10]

Early professional fights

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.[10]

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.[10]

St Patrick's Day events

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.[11]

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.[10]

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.

Return to Ireland

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. 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.[12][13]

Loss to Lyell

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.[14]

Rebuilding

On 10 October 2009, Duddy made a successful return to the ring against Michi Munoz. Duddy won a unanimous decision.[15] On 23 January 2010, he fought Juan Astorga in Madison Square Garden. He went on to win by way of TKO in the first round, giving Duddy his 18th KO.[16]

Duddy defeated Michael Medina of Monterrey, Mexico via a split decision on 13 March 2010, on the undercard of the Pacquaio/Clottey WBO Welterweight Championship.[17] In his final fight he was unanimously outpointed by Julio César Chávez, Jr. in a fight in San Antonio on 26 June 2010.[3]

Retirement from boxing

Duddy announced his retirement from boxing in a statement on 19 January 2011, after "a great deal of soul-searching". In the statement, Duddy cited a lack of desire, saying, "I no longer have the enthusiasm and willingness to make the sacrifices that are necessary to honor the craft of prizefighting", and stated that his decision is final, scuppering plans for an all-Irish showdown at Foxwoods Resort against Andy Lee.[18] Having concluded his boxing career, Duddy decided to enter the field of acting.[19]

Acting career

Duddy pursued acting mainly in New York City, where the working class Irishman found an especially warm welcome among working class New Yorkers and Irish émigrés.[20] Duddy landed roles in short film, web series, and the Off-Broadway stage. Duddy played the title character in the 2011 production of Kid Shamrock, Bobby Cassidy Jr.'s play based on the life of his father, American boxer "Irish" Bobby Cassidy.[21] In 2012, Duddy played the bartender in the Matt Glasson short film Hard Times and portrayed the character Mark Sullivan in the online series The Wronged One (2010-2012, 2016), a revenge-thriller based on a graphic novel. In The Wronged One, Duddy's character appeared in an episode entitled "The Derry Destroyer" in honor of Duddy's boxing nickname.[22] In January 2016, Latino Review reported The Wrong One had the attention of IFC (U.S. TV network), formerly the Independent Film Channel. IFC contemplated featuring the series on the channel's website.[23]

In 2013, Duddy worked in several media. Duddy played a boxer in the music video for the Bon Jovi song "Because We Can," which debuted in January 2013.[24] In the 2013 production of For Love by Laoisa Sexton, by Irish actress, Laoisa Sexton Laoisa Sexton's play about 3 single women in Dublin, Ireland and the men in their lives, Duddy portrayed all the male characters. Duddy's work in For Love won praise from Backstage and The New York Times.[25][26] After the 9 March–April 5, 2013 run at New York City's Irish Repertory Theatre, Duddy continued with an Irish tour of For Love in Derry and Belfast in Northern Ireland and Waterford, Dublin and Galway in the Republic of Ireland.[27][28] For the 2013 film Grudge Match, Duddy helped Robert De Niro train for boxing sequences choreographed by Robert Sale, the film's boxing technical adviser.[29][30][31][32]

His work with Sale and De Niro on Grudge Match led to Duddy's casting in the Roberto Durán biopic Hands of Stone (2016).[20] In September 2013, Sale called Duddy to suggest the actor accept the phone call he was about to get from an unfamiliar number. De Niro himself called to offer Duddy the role of legendary Scottish boxer Ken Buchanan after another actor withdrew from the part. Interviewed by American sports writer Thomas Hauser, Duddy recalled, "Filming Hands of Stone was an incredible experience."[31][33]

Professional boxing record
29 Wins (18 knockouts), 2 Losses, 0 Draws,0 No Contests
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Loss29–2 Julio César Chávez Jr. UD12 (12)26 June 2010 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Vacant WBC Silver Middleweight Title on the line.
Win 29–1 Michael Medina SD12 (12) 13 March 2010 Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Win 28–1 Juan Astorga TKO1 (8), 1:55 23 January 2010 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City
Win 27–1 Michi Munoz UD8 (8) 10 October 2009 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City
Loss 26–1 Billy Lyell SD10 (10) 24 April 2009 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Win 26–0 Matt Vanda UD10 (10) 21 February 2009 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City
Win 25–0 Charles Howe UD10 (10) 28 June 2008 The Castle, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 24–0 Walid Smichet MD10 (10) 23 February 2008 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City
Win 23–0 Howard Eastman UD10 (10) 20 October 2007 King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 22–0 Prince Arron TKO2 (10), 2:33 20 October 2007 National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Win 21–0 Alessio Furlan TKO10 (10), 2:42 14 July 2007 National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Win 20–0 Dupre Strickland UD10 (10) 18 May 2007 Beacon Theatre, New York, New York City
Win 19–0 Anthony Bonsante TD9 (12) 16 March 2007 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City IBA and WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Titles at stake.
Win 18–0 Luis Ramon Campas UD12(12) 29 September 2006 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City Retained IBA Middleweight Title.
Win 17–0 Alfredo Cuevas RTD7 (12), 10 June 2006Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City Retained IBA Middleweight Title.
Win 16–0 Shelby Pudwill TKO1 (10), 1:51 16 March 2006 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City Won vacant IBA Middleweight Title.
Win 15–0 Julio Jean UD10 (10) 4 February 2006The Castle, Boston, Massachusetts
Win 14–0 Wilmer Mejia TKO4 (8) 15 December 2005 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Win 13–0 Bryon Mackie TKO4 (8), 1:32 4 November 2005 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York City
Win 12–0 Joseph Brady KO1 (8), 1:01 17 September 2005 Dana Barros Sports Complex, Mansfield, Massachusetts
Win 11–0 Pat Coleman TKO8 (8), 2:30 22 July 2005 Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Win 10–0 Patrick Thompson UD8 (8) 11 June 2005 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City
Win 9–0 Lenord Pierre TKO1 (8), 1:23 18 March 2005 Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win 8–0 Chuck Orso KO1 (8), 1:37 4 February 2005 Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Win 7–0 Glen Dunnings TKO5 (6), 1:20 11 December 2004Atlantic Oceana, Brighton Beach, New York
Win 6–0 William Johnson TKO1 (4), 0:39 18 November 2004 Manhattan Center, New York, New York City
Win 5–0 Victor Paz TKO1 (6), 2:04 30 October 2004 Orange County Fairgrounds, Middletown, New York
Win 4–0 Ken Hock TKO4 (4), ?:?? 9 January 2004 Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut
Win 3–0 Leo Laudat TKO1 (4), ?:?? 21 November 2003 Crowne Plaza Hotel, New York, New York City
Win 2–0 Jesse Gomez TKO1 (4), ?:?? 22 October 2003 Crowne Plaza Hotel, New York, New York City
Win 1–0 Tarek Rached TKO1 (4), ?:?? 19 September 2003 Jimmy's Bronx Cafe, Bronx, New York Professional debut.

Personal life

Duddy married his long-time girlfriend Graínne Coll in 2009 in their native Derry.[34]

One of Duddy's uncles, named Jackie Duddy, was one of the 14 people killed by British Army Paratroopers, during Bloody Sunday.[35]

References
  1. "BoxRec: John Duddy". boxrec.com. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  2. Mallozzi, Vincent M. "After the Ring, a Life on the Screen: Former Bozer John Duddy Hopes for Success as an Actor". nytimes.com. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  3. Duddy goes down fighting Archived 12 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, 27 June 2010; retrieved 29 June 2010.
  4. Shane Murray. "Ireland take Gold". RTÉ News. Retrieved 20 April 2002.
  5. Jerry Glick. "Talks to John Duddy". Seconds Out. Archived from the original on 9 December 2004. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  6. Benny Henderson Jr. "Prospect Watch: The Fighting Irishman John Duddy". Doghouse Boxing. Retrieved 10 January 2005.
  7. Steve Farhood. "Phenomenon". Boxing Monthly. Archived from the original on 6 October 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  8. Matthew Hurley. "Ireland's Warrior – John Duddy". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 1 February 2006.
  9. Brian Doogan (12 March 2006). "Who is John Duddy?". The Times on Line. London, UK. Retrieved 12 March 2006.
  10. Staff. "John Duddy profile at". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  11. Gilberto Mendoza. "Official WBA Ratings as of July 2006" (PDF). WBA Ratings. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
  12. "Duddy to take on veteran Eastman", BBC News; accessed 23 June 2014.
  13. "Duddy to face Eastman in Belfast" Archived 13 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine, rte.ie; accessed 23 June 2014.
  14. Slater, James (25 April 2009). "Billy Lyell Upsets John Duddy – What Now for the Irishman?". eastsideboxing.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  15. "Irish Middleweight John Duddy Beats Michi Munoz". Bock The Robber. 11 October 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  16. "John Duddy knocks out Juan Astorga in first round win". BBC Sport. 24 January 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  17. "Derry's John Duddy edges split decision in Texas bout". BBC Sport. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  18. Rafael, Dan. "John Duddy retires, drops HBO fight". ESPN.com. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  19. McDaid, Brendan. "John Duddy punched his way to top now he's turning his hand to acting", belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 30 March 2013; accessed 24 June 2014.
  20. Mallozzi, Vincent M. "After the Ring, a Life on the Screen: Former Boxer John Duddy Hopes for Success as an Actor". nytimes.com. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  21. Woods, Michael. "Plug Alert! 'Kid Shamrock' Opens on Nov. 25". espn.com. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  22. The Wronged One, Season Two, "Episode 7: The Derry Destroyer," posted to YouTube, 20 March 2012 accessdate=28 August 2016
  23. "Hot New Show Alert: The Wronged One". lrmonline.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  24. Fitzmaurice, Maurice. "Irish Boxer John Duddy Lands Top Movie Role With Robert De Niro". irishmirror.ie. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  25. Sheward, David. "'For Love' Is Sexy, Salty, and Sharp". backstage.com. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  26. Webster, Andy. "Economy Is Woeful, and Sex Even Worse: 'For Love,' by Laoisa Sexton, at Irish Repertory Theater". nytimes.com. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  27. Jones, Kenneth M. "Sex and the Irish City: Ladies Are Looking For Love at Irish Rep Starting 13 March". playbill.com. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  28. McDaid, Brendan. "John Duddy Punched His Way to Top...Now He's Turning His Hand to Acting". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  29. Hauser, Thomas. "John Duddy: Actor". irishamerica.com. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  30. Ferguson, Amanda. "Derry Destroyer John Duddy Lands Role in Robert De Niro Boxing Movie". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  31. Ecksel, Robert. "John Duddy Nails It". boxing.com. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  32. Thomas Hauser, A Hurting Sport: An Inside Look at Another Year in Boxing (Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas Press, 2015), 79-82
  33. Huaser, Hurting Sport, 81
  34. Weir, Clare (29 August 2009). "Boxing ace Duddy marries long-term sweetheart". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  35. "Tribute planned for boxer John Duddy's uncle". Los Angeles Times. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
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