Tony Byrne (boxer)
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| Born |
6 July 1930 Drogheda, Ireland |
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| Died | 27 April 2013 (aged 82) | |||||||||
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Medal record
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Anthony Byrne, more commonly common known as Tony Byrne or Socks Byrne (6 July 1930 – 27 April 2013) was an amateur boxer. Byrne won a bronze medal for Ireland at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, in the lightweight division.
Byrne was born in Drogheda, Ireland. Doubt had been cast over whether Byrne would have the funds to travel to Melbourne to participate in the 1956 Olympics. However, a fundraising campaign under the banner of "Send Byrne to Melbourne" was created, and it raised £653 from local businesses in Drogheda to send him on his quest for glory down under.
Byrne carried the flag for Ireland at the opening ceremony and was the captain of the Irish boxing team. He beat opponents from Czechoslovakia and United States before losing in the semifinal on a split decision to Harry Kurschat of Germany. A few months later, he showed what might have been when he beat the eventual Gold Medallist, Dick McTaggart, in an Ireland-England International at the Royal Albert Hall.
In 1962, Byrne, and his wife Honor, emigrated to Canada. The Byrne's settled in Canada and have a family of two girls and a set of twin boys. In 2006 a statue of Byrne was unveiled in his hometown.
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