 Magee finished with 25 wins in 29 fights |
Boxing can subdue the most furious of spirits.
But in the case of Eamonn Magee, the sport must concede defeat to the mean streets of his native land.
The 32-year-old's career has been brought to a savage end by a gang attack in Belfast.
That he was on the verge of the biggest fight of his life, a shot at Sharmba Mitchell's interim IBF light welterweight belt, will only compound his misery.
Magee suffered multiple fractures of his left leg and a punctured lung after being dragged from a car and beaten with pick-axe handles on Sunday night.
The motive has yet to be established, but his demise will be received with knowing sighs by those familiar with his troubled past.
The WBU welterweight champion grew up in Ardoyne in nationalist north Belfast.
 | MAGEE FACT FILE Born: 13/07/1971 Turned pro: 25/11/1995 Divison:Welterweight Record: 25(16)-4 Alias: The Terminator Height: 5ft 8in Reach: 70in Trainer: John Breen Promoter: Mike Callahan |
As a teenager he was the victim of an IRA punishment attack and stabbed in the neck in a fight over a cigarette.
Worried by his wayward tendencies, Magee's mother sent him to the Sacred Heart ABC amateur gym and made sure he went every night.
The young southpaw racked up an impressive amateur record before controversially missing out on a place at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Magee had won the Irish senior title but the Irish ABA ordered a box-off between himself and Neil Gough - who he had already beaten - for the Olympic spot.
He refused to fight on principle and his career meandered for three years before manager Mike Callahan took up the reins.
A rejuvenated Magee landed the Commonwealth light welterweight title by stopping Paul Burke in 1999.
And wins over rated fighters such as Shea Neary and Jon Thaxton landed him on the doorstep of WBU light welterweight king Ricky Hatton in 2002.
On a memorable night in Manchester, Magee floored Hatton in the first round and gave the champion a perilous ride before losing a unanimous decision.
A year later, Magee challenged Germany's Otkay Urkal for the European light welterweight crown but was outpointed once again.
But in December 2003, in what was to be his last fight, Magee defeated Jimmy Vincent over 12 rounds in Cardiff to claim the WBU welterweight belt.
Magee's proposed bout against Mitchell would have been on the undercard of Hatton's clash with Kelson Pinto on 3 April.
A win may have led to another shot at Hatton and perhaps the road to riches.
Magee will have plenty of time on his hospital bed to contemplate which road he now wants to take.
MMIX
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Good luck in whatever you do in life now Eamonn