My Story

A story told by Bernard Dunne who boxed for the first time at the age of six. Twenty-three years later, in an electrifying performance, he stopped Ricardo Cordoba to take the WBA world super bantamweight belt.

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Bernard Dunne boxed for the first time at the age of six. Twenty-three years later, in an electrifying performance, he stopped Ricardo Cordoba to take the WBA world super bantamweight belt. Here, for the first time, Bernard Dunne tells his own amazing story. It begins in Neilstown, west Dublin, where boxing ran in the family. In his brilliant amateur career, Bernard never lost to an Irish fighter; but he narrowly missed out on the 2000 Olympics, and rather than spend another four years as an amateur in search of Olympic glory he decided to go pro. Going pro meant going to California, and, under the tutelage of Sugar Ray Leonard and Freddie Roach, California became a land of dreams for Bernard. But he missed home, missed his family. He wanted it all: he wanted to win a world title, and he wanted to do it in Ireland. The way he went about doing that has made Bernard Dunne a national treasure. After winning a European belt, he was defeated by Kiko Martinez; but he bounced back to beat Cordoba in front of a delirious crowd at the O2 Arena. Then Bernard accepted the toughest challenge of all: from a slab of granite named Poonsawat.
He lost the belt, but his courage and dignity in defeat were heroic. Now, Bernard tells the full story of his life and boxing career - a story full of surprises and controversy. It will thrill all his old fans and win him many new ones.