Paddy Hardy

Paddy Hardy started boxing as a junior with the Avona Boxing Club in Dublin before joining the Dublin Corinthians Club in 1948. After fighting as a juvenile from the eary-1940s, Hardy won the senior Dublin flyweight title in 1947 and got called into the Irish national side for the international against Spain the following year. He was a regular on the national team throughout 1948 and was a reserve for the flyweight division at the London Olympics. The nearest he came to winning a senior national title was in 1949 when beaten in the flyweight semi-final by Paddy Kelty.

Hardy had his last fight as an amateur on 3 February 1950 against John Kelly at the Ulster Hall, Belfast. At the same venue 24 hours later, Hardy fought John McManus on his professional début.