Background
He grew up in east Belfast and attended Knockbreda High School.
He grew up in east Belfast and attended Knockbreda High School.
Close turned professional in October 1988, winning his first fight at the Ulster Hall, Belfast, when he knocked out Manchester"s Steve Foster in the second of six rounds on a card that included fellow Northern Irish boxers Eammon Loughran and Sam Storey. Eubank fights
Later the same year Close faced Chris Eubank for the WBO Super Middleweight title. In what would be the first of his two fights against Eubank, the match was declared a draw.
Despite having the partisan Belfast crowd behind him, Close lost the match on a split points decision.
Both fights with Eubank caused considerable controversy, as Eubank floored Close in the first and had him on the verge of a knockout, yet the fight was declared a draw. The second fight, in which Close performed better, was deemed a points loss.
A third fight with Eubank was scheduled in 1995. However shortly before the match the British Boxing Board of Control revoked Close"s licence after he failed an Medical Research Institute scan.
Two lesions were subsequently found on his brain.
Although Close had his British licence revoked he obtained a licence to in the United States. from the Illinois State Boxing Commission. There was some press speculation in 2002 that Close was going to make a return to the ring in an unlicensed boxing event in Belfast, however the fight did not materialise.
He successfully defended the title against Terry Magee, the older brother of Eamonn and Noel, in Dublin in 1991.