Once my gloves went on I was in warrior mode. The home crowd for McKenzie never bothered me – I would have fought in Vietnam because it was just me and the opponent in the ring.
After that left hook he knew that I could take him out with one punch, or at least I could hurt him, so that changed everything. Suddenly he realised he was in a fight.
He got so desperate that he tried to butt me in one of the rounds and got a warning from the referee, Randy Neumann. I managed to get out of the way but that could have not only ruined the fight but my career because it would have just opened me up.
I knew I had won, but in boxing you are never sure and Mickey Duff was lifting McKenzie and walking around the ring with him. But if they had given it to McKenzie it would have been one of the worst decisions in history.
When I heard 'and the new world champion' it gave me a feeling like I have never had before... when my hand was raised it was just indescribable.
Boxing is brutal and I remember when my mindset to the sport changed. It was the night Barry McGuigan won his World title at Loftus Road in 1985. I was fighting Bobby McDermott in a British title eliminator and I remember hearing from his corner 'Kill him, kill him Bobby, kill him Bobby and I could see the trainer out of the corner of my eye... that changed my mindset about boxing because to me it was just a boxing match. But it's more than that.
I remember before the fight all that the media was interested in was Duke, and my dressing room was like a ghost-town while you couldn't get near his for journalists. Afterwards it was the reverse, as you could not move in mine and his was empty. I slipped out to see duke to commiserate and I could just not believe the difference that there was, all because he lost the fight. But that's boxing for you - losing is a hard medicine.
(Dave 'Boy' McAuley)
*June 7, 1989 - Dave McAuley w pts 12 Duke McKenzie - IBF World flyweight title - The Arena, Wembley, London, England
