// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Belfast boxing legend Close dies aged 57
Ray Close pushed WBO super-middleweight champion Chris Eubank all the way in two bouts
Ray Close, the Belfast boxer who almost handed Chris Eubank the first defeat of his career, has died at the age of 57.
One of the most gifted boxers Northern Ireland has produced, Close was born in 1969 and turned professional in 1988 after a decorated amateur career.
Close won the EBU super-middleweight title on St Patrick's Day in 1993 but it was his bouts against Eubank for which he will be most remembered.
Eubank, who had won all 35 of his professional bouts, was the defending WBO super-middleweight champion in May 1993 but Close pushed him all the way in Glasgow and the pair could not be separated on the scorecards.
A rematch took place at a raucous King's Hall in Belfast the following year and Close put in another strong performance but lost on a split decision.
A third fight was scheduled to take place but Close's boxing licence was revoked by the British Boxing Board of Control before it could take place after a MRI scan revealed two lesions on his brain.
Close would later return to the ring after obtaining a licence in the USA and he won all five of his bouts in Illinois, the last of which was a knockout victory over Larry Willis in June 1997.
His professional record reads as 25 victories, three defeats and one draw - which came against Eubank.
Close's professional record reads as 25 victories, three defeats and one draw - which came against Eubank.