Former IBA World and WBC Continental middleweight title holder, John Duddy, has traded in his gloves for a bar rag. The 32 year-old boxer, who stunned the fight world in January when he announced his retirement weeks before a big HBO fight against Andy Lee, is now working as a bartender in mid-town Manhattan.
Duddy,
once described by ESPN as "the personification of a blood-and-guts warrior" is no fighter down on his luck story either.
According to the New York Daily News, the popular Irish fighter can be found slinging drinks instead of swinging punches at Kennedy's--a Hell's Kitchen pub. Duddy has spent the last six months learning the bar business from the manager, Michael Glynn, while the retired fighter pursues an acting career on the side.
Duddy had built a loyal Irish fan base--especially in New York-- and his tenacious fighting style attracted legions of other boxing fans--especially at Madison Square Garden. Duddy's old bouts are still broadcast on the the MSG Network and sometimes, so much, one wonders why they don't just change the name to the John Duddy Network.
