Martin Quinn
Boxing
BIOGRAPHY
| Martin Quinn competed in the men’s lightweight boxing at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games and emerged as one of the heroes of the Irish boxing campaign, winning his opening bout in just fourteen seconds before pushing the reigning Olympic and European champion – and eventual silver medallist – Józef Grudzień of Poland to the limit in a bout he had the Pole on the canvas.
The 18-year-old Banbridge hairdresser won his first senior title in 1968 and was chosen for the Games despite reservations about his youth. His opening bout ended with a barrage of punches at the bell that stopped Cameroon’s Inoua Bodia after just fourteen seconds. Against the vastly more experienced Grudzień, Quinn boxed with tremendous composure and in the final minute floored the Pole with a perfectly timed left to the chin. In the excitement of the knockdown, the inexperienced Quinn failed to retreat to a neutral corner – the referee stopped the count to redirect him, the count exceeded sixteen seconds, and the shaken Grudzień had time to recover. Grudzień won the majority decision and went on to win the Olympic silver medal. Quinn’s performance against one of the world’s finest lightweight boxers was among the most notable by any Irish boxer at those Games. |
