Alex Daley @thealexdaley Historian & author
BOXING is so beset with tragedies and hard-luck stories that it’s pleasing to write about a fighter who found success in an entirely new sphere after leaving the roped square. Birkenhead-born Pat McAteer emigrated to America in 1957, founded a successful business there and enjoyed a sumptuous lifestyle, after winning a Lonsdale Belt outright.
Liverpool fight fans who are in their twilight years will not need reminding that McAteer was a quality boxer who only lost to top-class men. Long unbeaten runs were rare in the 1950s, but “Pat Mac”, as he was known, stormed to 40-0 before tasting defeat as a pro. Part of a well-known Liverpool fight family, several of Pat’s relatives punched for pay, including his cousin Les, a fellow British and Empire middleweight titlist. More recently, the McAteer sporting name was kept alive by Pat’s footballing nephew Jason, the former Liverpool and Ireland midfielder.