Former world boxing champion Eamonn Magee was convicted today of head-butting a man at a GAA social club in Belfast.
A judge ruled that Magee (38), carried out an “unjustified” assault after being told to leave the premises, from which he was barred.
Magee, an ex-WBU welterweight title holder from Eskdale Gardens in Belfast, will be sentenced next month.
Kevin McLaughlin told Belfast Magistrates’ Court he was attacked after asking Magee to leave the Ardoyne Kickhams club last August.
“That’s when he head-butted me. He hit me on the nose, once. I was stunned, I went back a bit and put my hands up. The next thing he was ducking and diving out of the road,” Mr McLaughlin said.
“He busted my nose open. There was quite a lot of blood, people came with towels to try and stem the blood flow.”
Mr McLaughlin, a committee member at the club, denied claims that he was drunk and shoved Magee three times before the attack.
Magee, known as The Terminator during a professional career which included 33 fights, claimed instead he was attacked by up to 15 people after being confronted at the club. He said he only went there to tell his ex-partner that he had made a discovery about his bank account.
Bouncers twice gave him permission to enter briefly for this purpose, with the disputed encounter taking place on his second trip, the court heard.
Although the ex-fighter described Mr McLaughlin as a “gentleman” and generous when sober, the boxer claimed on this occasion he was slurring his words and struggling to stand steady.
“He pushed me three times. By the third push he was literally inches away from me. My first reaction was to touch him with my head on the nose,” he said. He claimed Mr McLaughlin then threw up to eight punches at him, causing him to duck and weave.
Magee also alleged a crowd of people then attacked him. “Only for the security that night, God knows what would have happened to me," he said.
Defence witness Edward Friel told the court he saw the accused shoved three times before the two men’s heads came close together. According to his account, Magee was then “jumped on like a pack of wolves”.
During the contest it emerged that CCTV footage which apparently showed the incident was no longer available.
Declan Quinn, defending Magee, had questioned its absence, as well as putting forward a claim of self-defence.
Convicting Magee of assault, District Judge Ken Nixon said he was “satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that this was an unjustified head-butt with force”.