Ray Close dies aged 57 as Belfast boxing clubs pay tribute

Belfast boxer Ray Close, who challenged Chris Eubank twice for the WBO super-middleweight title, has died aged 57, BBC Sport reported. Tributes from clubs associated with Close reflected both his achievements in the ring and his influence on young boxers following a career that brought him a European championship and two world-title opportunities.

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Born in 1969, Close became a professional in 1988 after an accomplished amateur career. He won the EBU super-middleweight title on St Patrick's Day in 1993. His meeting with Eubank in Glasgow that May then gave him the chance to challenge a champion who had won each of his first 35 professional contests.

Close took Eubank to a draw, leaving the defending champion unbeaten but ending his sequence of victories. The pair met again at King's Hall in Belfast the following year. Close delivered another strong performance in front of the Belfast crowd, according to the BBC's account, but Eubank retained his title with a split-decision victory.

A third contest was arranged but did not take place. The British Boxing Board of Control revoked Close's licence after an MRI scan identified two lesions on his brain. He subsequently obtained a licence in the United States and resumed his career there. Close won all five of his fights in Illinois, finishing with a knockout of Larry Willis in June 1997. His final professional record was 25 wins, three defeats and one draw.

Ledley Hall Youth and Boxing Club in east Belfast, which Close joined at the age of 10, was among those paying tribute. In a Facebook statement reported by BBC Sport, the club remembered his humility, kindness and willingness to help others. It described his journey from its own training space to major boxing achievements as an example that had inspired generations of its young members.

Bangor Abbey Boxing Academy, where Close also trained, expressed its sadness at his death. The academy said Close and his family had been involved with the club from its beginnings and described his loss as one that would be felt throughout boxing in Ireland and beyond.