A boxing referee from west Belfast has been congratulated by his local community after officiating Katie Taylor’s farewell fight at Croke Park.
David Irving, from the Glen Road, was praised on social media before and after Saturday night’s fight that saw the Co Wicklow star comfortably beat Flora Pili on points.
On Facebook ahead of the bout, west Belfast MP Paul Maskey wrote: “Tonight, local man David Irving will referee one of the most anticipated boxing matches in Ireland.
“In a stadium packed with 80,000 people, with millions more watching around the world, West Belfast will be represented on a night that will make history.
“David Ádh Mór tonight, we’re all behind you!”
West Belfast bar, the Felons Club, also congratulated Mr Irving.
They said online: “A huge congratulations to West Belfast’s and Turf Lodge’s very own David Irving who refereed Katie Taylor’s farewell fight at Croke Park this evening. Well done David. Up the West!”
Irving’s involvement marks a significant moment in his career, with Taylor’s final professional fight attracting huge global attention as she retired a three-times undisputed champion.
Irving was also the first Irishman to be invited by the World Boxing Council (WBC) to attend its annual conference in 2014.
Speaking at the time of his WBC invitation, Irving said: “I can’t believe it. It is all very hard to take in. I live such a quiet life and then to get invited to Las Vegas for the WBC conference before going on their refereeing panel in the future is incredible.”
Irving, who has been refereeing for 20 years, said his love affair with the sport goes back to his teenage years when he started out as an amateur.
His record at that level was seven wins, all by knockout, and four losses.
“I boxed as an amateur and professional until I was 22. As an amateur, I fought around the world including for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games. When I was 20, I turned professional with Barney Eastwood and fought on an undercard for Barry McGuigan,” he said.
“I was a hard-hitting welterweight and had quite a few knockouts on my record, but the truth is my right hand was taking too much punishment on fight nights and I had to retire earlier than I had planned.
“Mr Eastwood was good to me and said that he could see something in me that might help me become a referee. He put me through an expensive medical and things have progressed from there.
“I’ve now been refereeing on the boxing circuit for 20 years doing fights in Northern Ireland and also around Europe for the last two years. I refereed Tyson Fury vs Martin Rogan at the Odyssey in Belfast, was in the ring for Andy Lee’s fights in Dublin, and did some of Bernard Dunne’s early fights.”