Background
McNally was born and raised in the Pound Loney area of west Belfast and was the first person from Belfast and the first Irish boxer to win an Olympic medal.
McNally was born and raised in the Pound Loney area of west Belfast and was the first person from Belfast and the first Irish boxer to win an Olympic medal.
In the final McNally lost a split decision to Pentti Hämäläinen of Finland. In 1954 McNally turned professional but his pro career did not reach the heights of his amateur days. He fought only 25 times and finished with a record of 14 wins, 9 defeats and 2 draws.
On 4 January 2008 John McNally was inducted into the Irish by RTÉ"s Jimmy Magee at an awards night held in the National Stadium in Dublin.
A biography of McNally"s life and career has been published by Appletree Press.