TELLING BARRY MCGUIGAN TO F*CK OFF

COULD'VE, WOULD'VE, SHOULD'VE, DIDN'T
Jamie Hughes boxed for England as an amateur and left the sport unwillingly as a 4-0 professional. His journey from "obese kid" to prospect is a fascinating one. He tells his own, funny and four letter, story in this multi-part piece.

INTRODUCTION

Telling Barry McGuigan to Fuck Off

None of this is a lie so if anyone reads and gets upset, come find me; I’m an overweight father of two living in Australia. I’m just telling you things that happened.

When I was about sixteen or seventeen I quit boxing. I’d lost a really bad decision in the Junior ABA’s semi final and I know in my head, to this day, that quitting was the biggest mistake I ever made. I never had the advice I needed, or I didn’t listen to it. Either way nothing helped me.

After that loss I was sixteen and heartbroken, gutted. I started smoking weed every day but they still let me in the gym for God knows why. Maybe I was just a troubled kid or I was good or fuck knows, but my trainer John let me in no matter how much I pissed them off or fucked about. I’ve got a lot of time and love for that geezer.

Barry McGuigan was training his son Shane for the Irish Championships and bringing him up our ends to spar. It was basically an abandoned school in Foots Cray in the estate, it was a shithole, no funding at all. Initially they were there for a guy older than me but I ended up sparring Shane in essentially an old science classroom, sinks in there and shit, just because I happened to be there that night and I beat the shit outa him.

Then they wanted to do it again because Shane and Barry was loving that work, but I was going in high. Beating him up, stoned. One day Barry took me on the pads and said to me, “why are you quitting boxing?”, and I swear, he said to me “Jamie I’m not blowing smoke up your arse but you could be the next Ricky Hatton”.

Now obviously Ricky was massive at that point, and for some people that’d be enough but for me, I don’t know, for me it weren’t and I told him to fuck off. Why’s he telling me that? I should have probably listened to the world champion, especially when he’s told me he killed a geezer in the ring. I was off my nut, too much off my nut probably, so I just told him to fuck off.

From that day forward my amateur coach John, even when I went back as a pro, told everyone “this is Jamie, he told Barry McGuigan to fuck off”. I still don’t know if they loved it or just thought I was stupid, but I don't really care now. John was proper, an old school bredda, I hope he’s still alive.

Could've, Would've, Should've...

READ CHAPTER ONE: A RUTHLESS INTRODUCTION TO BOXING