Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

Australian three time Olympian Tony Madigan has sadly passed away on Sunday at the age of 87 years. Madigan competed at Helsinki (1952), Melbourne (1956) and Rome (1960).

Madigan boxed the great Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, in a semi-final at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Madigan went on to take bronze at the event. He had also fought Clay at the Intercity Golden Gloves light-heavyweight championship in Chicago in 1959 losing by decision.

AOC president John Coates said: “Tony was a true legend of Australian boxing and Olympic history, best known for his battle with Muhammad Ali. He is and will remain Australia’s greatest amateur boxer and a milestone of Australian sporting history.”

Madigan is survived by wife, Sybilla, with whom he lived in the south of France and the UK, as well as son Kendall and brother Mark. Tony Madigan was inducted into the Australian Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010