The nickname "Irish" has always had one purpose and one purpose only: to make it clear that an American fighter had Irish blood. "Irish" Pat Lawlor "Irish" Billy Collins "Irish" Micky Ward These were all great American fighters who wanted to let their fans know that they were of Irish ancestry. It was a way to say that they were tough guys. Everyone in the boxing world knew that Irish-American fighters were hard as nails. Similarly, Andy Lee, who was born in England, called himself "Irish" Andy Lee. He wanted to let people know that his ancestry was Irish. It would make no sense for a fighter who was actually born in Ireland to call himself "Irish", because the ring announcer tells the audience where the boxers are from at the beginning of every fight.
Same with Tyson Fury and Mathew Macklin, maybe they feel the are Irish which is fair enough, some sceptics may say they are trying to drum up support from Irish Americans, as they love all things Irish
It's marketing. Because Irish and Irish-Americans are willing to pay to support fighters from their ethnic group. A loyal demographic for promoters and fighters to exploit.
Fortunately Irish people are now accepted by the mainstream white people as humans. If a black fighter did that, they would be crucified by the media
I'll never understand a man born here and want to be recognised from somewhere else, where im from is full of plastics with no financial gain whatsoever
Same as me, same as most kids born with irish heritage, never felt the need to pretend it was anything more than a holiday though, it never changed my accent lol
Re black fighter using 'Irish' getting negative feedback, actually probably not at all. Can't thing of exact fights offhand, but I've seen fighters come out in local colors (city/country) even though not from and get a pop (positive reaction). Re 'Irish', as others said, just marketing. And in the US it works, I grew up in a neighborhood where the U2 Loving Irish flag tattooed on ankle crowd, who've never been and grandparents from, eat that nonsense up. - And with those actually from, here in NYC, the Poles, the English, etc. show up and support big time when one of theirs is going.
It's basically because the world is made up of two types of people. One is Irish people and the other is people who want to be Irish.
It’s like they said in The Great White Hype “I’m not even Irish” “This is boxing, it just means you’re white” It’s marketing. Part of it goes back to the 1920s-1950s when many top boxers the US where from Irish, Italian, and Jewish backgrounds and neighborhoods. There would be fights marketed around neighborhoods/ethnic enclaves.
My parents and grandparents always said we were Irish. My grandparents immigrated from Belfast, so I always figured I was. I took a DNA test: 11% Sub-Saharan ****ing African, English, Scottish, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and embarrassingly French. What a shot to the nuts. Celtics just swept the Pacers BTW.
