Terry Young Obituary, Death – Terry Young, a local boxing legend, was remembered as “a happy-go-lucky lad with a great amateur career” following his death on Sunday. He and his brothers Gerry and Jody began at the Dominic Savio club before transferring to the St Oliver Plunkett club when it was founded in 1970 by Patsy McAllister and Jimmy Finnegan. Terry would not win the Ulster Senior title despite winning Ulster junior titles, but Irish honors were secured in 1974, paving the way for international honors as he made his Irish debut against Wales. He boxed in the Irish vest for the first time against Wales and went on to defend his national title. He was a fighter who gave his all in the ring every time. Due to a medical issue, his career was cut short, but he continued to box with his brothers as they founded the Emerald club in West Belfast, eventually relocating to Ballyhornan, where he spent the rest of his life.
“Terry had a great little career,” says McAllister, his former coach.”He would always give 100 percent in the ring but was a bit of a joker outside of it and would also do an Ian Paisley act that had everyone laughing. “I met him when he was 13 or 14 years old, and we were all in the Savio club at the same time.” Many of the Savio’s lads approached us when Jimmy and I left in 1969 to open our own club in Hannahstown. “Terry, his brothers Gerry and Jody came to us, and Terry won a couple of juvenile titles but never an Ulster title, though he then went to Dublin and won the Irish title, which demonstrated how good he could be.” Despite the fact that his career was cut short due to health issues, his fighting instincts carried him through, and he was a man who could always find humor in a situation. “He was at the quiz in the PD one night and Bobby Devlin, who was the quizmaster, asked Terry a question he couldn’t answer, but shot back at Bobby: ‘It’s alright for you – half of my brain is in the Royal and half of it is in here’. But Terry was the sole exception.”
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