Francis ("Francie") Barrett (born February 7, 1977, in Galway, Ireland) is a professional boxer, who represented his native country as an amateur at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Background
Growing up as a traveller in Galway, Francie was introduced to the sport by trainer and lifelong mentor, Chick Gillen.
Amateur career
Barrett was a member of the 1996 Irish Olympic Team as a Light Welterweight. His results were:
- Defeated Zely Fereria Dos Santos (Brazil) 32-7
- Lost to Fathi Missaoui (Tunisia) 6-18
Barrett also won the ABA weltwerweight title in 1997, was an EU light welterweight Champion, and a former Senior ABA Champion.
Pro career
Barrett turned professional in August 2000 and now fights at light welterweight, out of Wembley, London.
Outside the ring
In March 1999, Barrett was ejected from a Galway nightclub. [1] At an earlier date, Barrett and his wife, Kathleen, were denied entry to a Salthill nightclub called Liquid. Barrett filed a lawsuit for the ejection. [2] The documentary, Southpaw: The Francis Barrett Story, won the Audience Prize at the 1999 New York Irish Film Festival. It followed Barrett for three years and showed him overcoming discrimination as he progressed up the amateur boxing ranks to eventually carry the Irish flag and box for Ireland at the age of 19 during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
