Belfast boxing legend Close dies aged 57

Ray Close, the Belfast boxer who almost handed Chris Eubank the first defeat of his career, has died at the age of 57.

One of the most gifted boxers Northern Ireland has produced, Close was born in 1969 and turned professional in 1988 after a decorated amateur career.

Close won the EBU Super Middleweight title on St Patrick's Day in 1993 but it was his bouts against Eubank for which he will be most remembered.

Eubank, who had won all 35 of his professional bouts, was the defending WBO super-middleweight champion in May 1993 but Close pushed him all the way in Glasgow and the pair could not be separated on the scorecards.

A rematch took place at a raucous King's Hall in Belfast the following year and Close put in another strong performance but lost on a split decision.

A third fight was scheduled to take place but Close's boxing licence was revoked by the British Boxing Board of Control before it could take place after a MRI scan revealed two lesions on his brain.

Close would later return to the ring after obtaining a licence in the USA and he won all five of his bouts in Illinois, the last of which was a knockout victory over Larry Willis in June 1997.

His professional record reads as 25 victories, three defeats and one draw - which came against Eubank.

Ledley Hall Youth and Boxing Club in east Belfast, where Close started his boxing journey as a 10-year-old, led tributes and said he was a "true gentleman, humble, kind and always willing to give something back".

"To our young people, Ray was proof of what could be achieved," the club posted on Facebook.

"He was someone who had come through the same doors, trained in the same club and gone on to accomplish incredible things."

The club added that Close's story has "inspired generations of young people at Ledley Hall and will continue to do so".

"There are some people who become part of the history and heart of a place, and Ray will always be part of ours.

"We will remember him with enormous pride, affection and gratitude."

Bangor Abbey Boxing Academy, where Close had trained, said he will be a "huge loss to the boxing fraternity of Ireland and across the world".

"Ray and his whole family have been a huge part of our club over the years, right from the very start and we are truly devastated."