Peter Crotty began fighting with the St. Mary’s
Boxing Club in Clonmel, later training at the Dungarvan Battalion FCA, before joining the army for two years in
1943. He won the Irish welterweight
title for four straight years, 1949-1952, but lost his first match at the
Helsinki Olympics when a cut opened over his eye and the fight was stopped by
the referee. He retired after the
Olympics and worked in the building trade, often as a scaffolder.
In January 2006 a blue plaque was unveiled on
Dungarvan Town Hall depicting his boxing achievements, and the gymnasium where
he trained there with the Dungarvan Boxing Club is now called the Peter Crotty
Iron Man Gym.
Dungarvan also holds an
annual Peter Crotty Memorial Boxing Tournament.