Deirdre Gogarty
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Deirdre Gogarty (born: November 10, 1969) is a Women's boxing competitor who was born in Ireland.
Because of legal issues regarding women's boxing in her native country, Gogarty currently cannot engage in competition there, and now she fights out of New Orleans, Louisiana. However, before the law was passed in Ireland preventing women from engaging in boxing events, she was able to begin her career there, with a six round decision win versus Anne-Marie Griffin.
Her next three fights took her to London and Kansas City. In London, she beat Jane Johnson twice, by a four round knockout and by an eight round decision. In Kansas City, she drew after six rounds with Stacy Prestage. After the rematch with Johnson, she obtained her first knockout in the first round ever, beating Jane McGhee. One more win followed and she was matched with Prestage again, once again drawing after six.
Following the same pattern, another win followed and she was matched with Prestage for a rubber match, and this time, she suffered her first loss, when Prestage won a 10 round decision over her. Two more wins followed, including a six round knockout of top contender Carol Brown and a first round knockout win of Missy Buchanan. But then she was matched versus Mary Ann Almager and lost a six round decision.
Gogarty followed that with a win, after which she was matched with Isra Girgrah, whom Gogarty knockoed out in three rounds in what might have been her biggest win to date. Then she boxed another of women's boxing's top competitors in Laura Serrano, who beat Gogarty by a knockout in seven. Another knockout win followed, in the first round versus Jessica Breitfelder, and then, she engaged in the fight many credit for putting women's boxing on the sports fan's map: She and Christy Martin engaged in a six round match that was televised by Showtime, in a fight that made the covers of many magazines, and which many women's boxing fans have called the female version of The Thrilla In Manila (although it was held in Las Vegas). Martin won by a six round decision.
Then Gogarty went on a three fight win streak before she was able to challenge Bonnie Canino for the WIBF women's world Featherweight championship. Gogarty became a world champion by winning the fight on a 10 round decision, and defended the title against Monique Strohman and Debra Strohman, both first round knockout victims. Then, in her last fight to date, she lost her title to Beverly Szymanski on a 10 round decision.
Gogarty right now intends to fight again and she keeps on training. However, due to laws in her home country banning women from boxing and other factors, she has not been able to find an opponent for four years.
She loves signing autographs for fans and is very appreciative of her celebrity.