BARRY MCGUIGAN could leave the boxing jungle for another kind on our television screens.
The 63-year-old former WBA featherweight champion is rumoured to be taking part in the latest series of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! which begins on November 17.
Hosted by presenter duo Ant and Dec the long-running show takes place in the Australian jungle with a range of celebrities. The contestants take part in a range of ‘Bushtucker Trials’ which determines what type of meals the campmates will eat.
The Irish boxing legend will give the show a sporting presence which looked set to feature ex-footballer turned pundit Ally McCoist. However, the popular Scot has reportedly had a change of heart.
McGuigan had an eight-year career from May 1981 to May 1989 with his most famous win coming against Eusebio Pedroza at Loftus Road in June 1985. Victory over the talented Panamanian gave McGuigan the WBA world title in front of a raucous outdoor crowd. The same year ‘The Clones Cyclone’ won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and in 2005 he became a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
If McGuigan does travel Down Under to TV’s most famous jungle he will follow in the footsteps of Amir Khan who finished fifth in the competition seven years ago. Khan made a second appearance on a spin-off show – I’m A Celebrity…South Africa – but made an exit after a secret ballot voted him out.
This year’s rumoured line-up is: Coleen Rooney, Danny Jones, Oti Mabuse, Alan Halsall, GK Barry, Dean McCullough, Tulisa, Jane Moore, Barry McGuigan, Melvin Odoom, Maura Higgins and Rev Richard Coles.
