Jim Rock

Infobox_Boxer


name=Jim Rock
realname=James Rock
nickname="the Pink Panther"
weight=middleweight
nationality=|nationality= flagicon|Ireland Irish
birth_date=Birth date and age|1972|3|12|mf=y
birth_place=Dublin, Ireland
home=Dublin, Ireland
style=orthodox
total=33
wins=29
KO=12
losses=4
draws=0
no contests=0|

Jim Rock, nicknamed "the Pink Panther", (born 12 March, 1972 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish professional boxer and current IBC middleweight and Irish super middleweight champion.

Although a natural middleweight, Rock holds a record of being the only boxer to ever hold the Irish professional title at four different weights - light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight.cite web | author=Boxrec | title="Jim Rock" | work=Boxrec Fighter Page | url=http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=015035 | accessdaymonth=13 October | accessyear=2006 ] cite web | author=Tomás Rohan | title="Rock - Duddy postponed" | work=Eastside Boxing | url=http://www.eastsideboxing.com/boxing-news/Takaloo-JimRock.php | accessdaymonth=13 October | accessyear=2006 ] cite web | author=Chris Curry | title="Takaloo Crushes The Rock" | work=Irish Boxing | url=http://www.irish-boxing.com/july06/17_July_2006_Rock_Duddy.htm | accessdaymonth=13 October | accessyear=2006] cite web | author=Thomas Myler | title="Dunne demolition job puts world on agenda" | work=Irish Independent | url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/dunne-demolition-job-puts-world-on-agenda-51534.html| accessdaymonth=26 March | accessyear=2003 ]

Background

Family

Rock was born into a large family in the Blanchardstown area of west Dublin. Rock is a brother of Irish hip-hop artist Ste V Roc and a cousin of former Irish welterweight champion Robbie Murray. Rock is now married with a young family.cite web | author=Tomas Rohan | title="Murray and Macklin claim Irish titles" | work=BoxingBoxing.net | url=http://www.britishboxing.net/news_703-Murray-and-Macklin-claim-Irish-titles.html| accessdaymonth=17 May | accessyear=2005]

Business

Out of the ring, Rock is a successful businessman and entrepreneur and runs a car dealership in Dublin, dealing in high class motor vehicles such as Mercedes, Ferrari and BMW. Rock has said that fights for the love of the sport and not the money and has been known to donate the earnings from his fights to charity.cite web | author=Tomas Rohan | title="Dunne out to short circuit Sean "Short Fuse" Hughes" | work=BoxingBoxing.net | url=http://www.britishboxing.net/news_974-Dunne-out-to-short-circuit-Sean-Short-Fuse-Hughes.html| accessdaymonth=14 October | accessyear=2005]

TV and Film

In 2003, Rock trained Irish-American actor Matthew McConaughey in preparation for his role in the film "Reign of Fire". In return McConaughey worked Rock's corner during during victory over Jason Collins.cite web | author= | title="McConaughey gets ready to Rock..." | work=BoxingBoxing.net | url=http://www.showbizireland.com/news/april01/23-mcconaughy02.shtml| accessdaymonth=14 October | accessyear=2005]

In March 2007, Rock fought a five round exhibition fight in Dublin against former Olympic champion Michael Carruth.cite web | author= | title="Rock added to Dunne card" | work=IrishBoxing.com | url=http://www.irish-boxing.com/march07/20_March_2007_Rock.htm | accessdaymonth=14 October | accessyear=2007]

Rock along with Mick Dowling, co-presents boxing broadcasts for the Irish national tevelvision broadcaster, RTÉ.cite web | author= | title="Dunne v Pickering" | work=RTE | url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/boxing/dunne_pickering_06.html| accessdaymonth=14 October | accessyear=2007]

Boxing career

Rock boxed as an amateur prior to turning professional in November 1995. He won his first fight at the Point Depot in Dublin, beating the previously unbeaten Craig Lynch the undercard of a bill that included fellow Irish boxers Steve Collins and Eamonn Magee.

Rock is a veteran of the Dublin professional fight scene; however, he fights out of the Breen Gym in Belfast. Rock is a former WAA Inter-Continental European Super Middleweight Title, IBC Middleweight Title, WBF Continental European Light Middleweight Title, Irish Light Middleweight Title and Irish Super Middleweight Title holder and current Irish Middleweight Title holder. However, arguably his biggest fight to date was against Margate based Iranian, Mehrdud "Takaloo" Takalobigashi for the WBU Light Middleweight Title which took place in Belfast's Odyssey Arena in February 2003. Rock lost this keenly contested fight to an explosive overhand right knock out defeat in the ninth round.Boxrec Fighter Page]

Brian Peters

Rock currently fights on Brian Peters promotions which are broadcast on Irish station RTÉ and is unbeaten since 2003. Derry fighter John Duddy has displayed interest in taking on Dubliner for the Irish middleweight title. Duddy's management attended Rock's June 3, 2006 fight against Kevin Phelan in Dublin, a seventh round TKO victory for Rock. The fight was initially scheduled for September 29, 2006 at Madison Square Garden, but has then postponed, for a November 2006 bout in Dublin, Ireland which again did not materialise.Irish Independent] [ [http://www.brianpeterspromotions.com/fighters_fighters.html Profile of Brian Peters Promotions website] ]

The speculation of a potential superfight against John Duddy continued to into 2007 and a bill including a Duddy/Rock match up and a Bernard Dunne title defense is planned for late summer 2007. [ [http://www.boxingtalk.com/pag/article11889.html A busy summer for Duddy] ]

References

External links

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* [http://www.jimrockmotors.ie/ Jim Rock Motors]