Paddy Dwyer was the outstanding Irish boxer at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, advancing to the semi-final of the men's welterweight division with victories over Johnny Basham of Great Britain, Jacobus Cornelissen of the Netherlands and a knockout of Teodor Stauffer of Switzerland in the quarter-final. From Thurles, County Tipperary, Dwyer had learned his boxing in the British Army's 18th Royal Irish Regiment, winning the novices' welterweight championship of India in 1914 having already won a Channel Islands championship title. He went on to win army boxing tournaments across Ireland, England, France, Germany and Poland. In his semi-final against the Argentine knockout specialist Hector Mendez, Dwyer sustained a serious forehead injury inflicted by his opponent's head in the second round. He fought on until the end of the bout and was withdrawn from the bronze medal contest due to the severity of his injury.
Boxing
