Sean O’Grady’s WBA Triumph
On April 12, 1981, Sean O’Grady defeated Hilmer Kenty over fifteen rounds to win the WBA lightweight championship. The governing body later stripped O’Grady of the title, and his subsequent loss to Andy Ganigan came in a separate championship contest.
An Oklahoma City prospect
O’Grady was born in Austin, Texas, on February 10, 1959. His family moved to Oklahoma City in 1969, and he began his professional career there as a teenager. The Oklahoma Historical Society records his pro debut in January 1975, when he was 15. Promoted by his father, Pat O’Grady, he became known as the “Bubble Gum Bomber,” a nickname that reflected his colorful public persona as much as the attention he drew in the ring.
By the start of the 1980s, O’Grady had established himself among the leading American lightweights. His rivalry with Kenty, another prominent U.S. contender, gave the 1981 championship fight real stakes. Their title bout was scheduled for 15 rounds, the distance then used for major world championship contests.
The Kenty victory and title change
On April 12, 1981, O’Grady won a unanimous decision over Kenty in Atlantic City to claim the WBA lightweight championship. Oklahoma Historical Society: O’Grady biography. Contemporary United Press International coverage reported the 15-round result, noting that the fight was affected by an accidental clash of heads and a cut. The verdict made O’Grady a recognized world champion under the WBA.
The reign lasted only a few months. On August 19, 1981, the WBA stripped O’Grady after he failed to make a required defense against challenger Claude Noel. A federal court later upheld the association’s decision. This was an administrative title change: O’Grady had won the championship in the ring, but by autumn he was no longer the WBA’s titleholder.
Ganigan bout was for a different belt
On October 31, O’Grady met Andy Ganigan for the World Athletic Association lightweight title. The WAA was a separate organization created by Pat O’Grady, and its belt was not the WBA championship. Ganigan, who outweighed O’Grady by a pound, knocked him down repeatedly and won by knockout at 2:08 of the second round.
The WBA had stripped O’Grady before the Ganigan fight, which was contested for another organization’s championship. Ganigan later stopped him at 2:08 of the second round.
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Sean O’Grady, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Results
