[extracts from the Appletree Press title Legends of Irish Boxing published by Appletree Press]

Accordingly, Dall’Osso was out-pointed convincingly as McNally used his left jab effectively to swing a unanimous decision from the judges. The semi-final saw McNally go toe-to-toe with the tough Korean, Joon-Ho Kang. In the early part of the contest, McNally had to deal with some clever attacking from the Korean, but gradually he began to assert himself and, with some clever defensive boxing, soon took command. At the mid-point of the second round, McNally unleashed a vicious onslaught that floored Kang and thereafter the decision was a foregone conclusion.
      Ireland had not claimed a medal of any colour since Pat Callaghan and Bob Tisdall had claimed gold in track and field events at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. With a medal – and his place in boxing history – now assured, McNally was determined to leave Helsinki with the Olympic title.
      It was not to be as in the final McNally lost on a controversial decision to the local favourite, Finland’s Pennti Hamalainen. As he recalled, there was great suspicion of a ‘home-town’ decision regarding the outcome of the contest.
      “The fight took place in a packed and partisan arena and when the split decision was called in favour of the Finn the place erupted in celebration,” remembered McNally. “It was the last day of the Games and the host nation had not yet won a gold medal so there was a lot of weight on the Finn’s shoulders to deliver.
      “The Finn had been cautioned at least eight times during the bout for hitting with the inside of the glove and for using his head to open my eye, which in today’s rules would have lost him points. When the final bell rang, we shook hands and I went back to my corner and we were all convinced that I had got the decision, but I knew that the pressure was there with the home crowd expectant.
      “It came down to the three judges and the British judge gave it to me, while the American and the Austrian gave it to Hamalainen. He got it on a split decision and I could not believe when his hand was raised, it was like a nightmare come true. I was devastated and in floods of tears because I was convinced that I had won the gold medal. I was so low that I still find it hard to think back on those few minutes as it really was a hard blow to take after coming so far. The fact was that, regardless of how I felt, I had no time to compose myself as everything was working like clockwork and I had to carry on with the formalities. Immediately after the fight, they held the medal ceremony in the ring but I was so cut up about the whole thing that it was all a blur to me. My silver medal was no consolation and the fact that the crowd were in raptures only made me even more depressed.”

The loneliest place for any boxer after a devastating defeat is indeed the changing room. McNally retired from the ring that afternoon only to be accosted by one of the Game’s doctors who ordered immediate medical attention for his scarred back. Once there, whilst trying to control his tears, an act of kindness by an anonymous American boxer touched him greatly.
      “After the ceremony, I came out of the ring and the official doctor took one look at my back – which had been shredded through rope burn – and ordered me to go to the dressing room to be tended to. Once there, a medic took out a bottle of pure alcohol and told me to lie face down on a bench and warned me that the alcohol would sting my back badly. I recall there was a boxer lying meditating on the bench beside me preparing himself mentally for his own final bout and he held out his hands for me to grip. The alcohol really did hurt so much that I felt that I was about to scream so I squeezed that boxer’s hands very hard in a reaction to the pain.
      “Only later did I come to realise that the man who offered to hold my hands that day was the legendary Floyd Patterson, future heavyweight champion of the world. It was an act of kindness that I have never forgotten and I have always held him in the highest personal esteem.”

Nearly half a century after his Olympic dream was shattered, John is philosophical about the defeat.
      “My attitude to life has always been to never look back in anger,” he explained. “I just thank God that I had the chance to go there and represent my country. Ireland in the early 1950s was a relative newcomer on the world sporting scene and this was a real breakthrough for the country. It was one of the hardest few minutes that I have ever endured and being so young I was just devastated. In retrospect, the experience has stood me in good stead and helped me cope with adversity in later life.”

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Extracted from the Appletree Press title: Legends of Irish Boxing by Barry Flynn.
Also available from Appletree Press: John McNally - Boxing's Forgotten Hero by Barry Flynn