Mantlepiece Masterpiece

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Mantlepiece Masterpiece 3D scanning and printing sculptures.

Small model this time. Young Ellis is a big Marvel fan, especially the Black Panther. Thanks to his Mum, Enya for granti...
10/10/2026

Small model this time. Young Ellis is a big Marvel fan, especially the Black Panther. Thanks to his Mum, Enya for granting permission to post his photo.

Raymond Close (20 January 1969 – 2 October 2026) was a boxer from Belfast who fought for most of his career in the super...
04/10/2026

Raymond Close (20 January 1969 – 2 October 2026) was a boxer from Belfast who fought for most of his career in the super-middleweight division, ending his career in the light-heavyweight division.

Close turned professional in October 1988.

In his seventh bout he won the vacant Irish super-middleweight title. In 1993, he defeated Vincenzo Nardiello to win the EBU European super-middleweight title in Italy. Beating an Italian in Italy is no mean feat.

Later the same year Close faced Chris Eubank for the WBO super-middleweight title. In what would be the first of his two fights against Eubank, the match was declared a draw. After an October win against Ray Domenge, Close again faced Eubank in a rematch at Belfast's King's Hall. Despite having the partisan Belfast crowd behind him, Close lost the match on a split points decision. Both fights with Eubank caused considerable controversy, as Eubank floored Close in the first and had him on the verge of a knockout, yet the fight was declared a draw. The second fight, in which Close performed better, was deemed a points loss.

A third fight with Eubank was scheduled in 1995. However shortly before the match the British Boxing Board of Control revoked Close's licence after he failed an MRI scan. Two lesions were subsequently found on his brain. Although Close had his British licence revoked he obtained a licence in the US from the Illinois State Boxing Commission.

There was one time I was coming home from London on a cold miserable rainy day, I was surprised to see Ray working in the City Airport carpark, heavy coat on and looked foundered. I rolled my window down (it was that long ago) and said " Hi Ray, you should have been a millionaire, you were robbed." he just smiled a really wide smile and shrugged his shoulders as if it were no big deal.

One for my personal collection. According to boxrec.com, Northern Ireland has produced 10 world boxing champions.Missing...
30/09/2026

One for my personal collection.
According to boxrec.com, Northern Ireland has produced 10 world boxing champions.
Missing from the list is Jimmy McLarnin who was born in Hillsboro and moved to Canada. Barry McGuigan who was born over the border in Clones but represented NI in the commonwealth games.
IBO champs like Damien Kelly and Poddy McCrory and WBU champ Eamon Magee. Also missing are Northern Ireland based Champions like Victor Cordoba, Crisanto Espana, Fabrice benichu and Paul Hodkinson.
I may have missed one or two others from the non-marquis organisations.

James Brady (1921-1995)James was a farmer in his early life. He left the farm to labour on the roads in London before re...
15/09/2026

James Brady (1921-1995)
James was a farmer in his early life. He left the farm to labour on the roads in London before returning home where he worked as a roofer. A very easy going man by all accounts, not much else I can say as I never met the man.

This little bust was put together from a series of very grainy photographs and feedback from his family. One member even had his hair restyled like his father as the normal haircut was not reflected well in the available photographs.
I wasn't sure about it until I delivered it to his youngest daughter as a birthday gift. While there, her older sister came visiting, she recognised him instantly and just sat staring at it the whole time before leaving with it :D
So he had to be redone.

For me, and I guess for the majority, the greatest night in the history of Irish sport took place last Saturday night.54...
12/09/2026

For me, and I guess for the majority, the greatest night in the history of Irish sport took place last Saturday night.
54 years after Ali boxed in Croak park, Katie Taylor done the same. Between 83 and 84 thousand people were in attendance to witness Katie become three time undisputed champion in a mega event which sold out in 17 minutes. It was the sixth highest attended boxing match in the post war era and the highest ever for a female boxer. Her opponent, Flora Pili, gave a very good account of herself, and referee David Irving (pictured) done an outstanding job.

Katie's amateur career:
6 European titles
5 World titles
Olympic Gold

Professional career:
3 weight undisputed champion

King of the Road - Joey DunlopWilliam Joseph Dunlop (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish road racing mo...
02/09/2026

King of the Road - Joey Dunlop

William Joseph Dunlop (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish road racing motorcyclist from Ballymoney, County Antrim. In 2015, he was voted Northern Ireland's greatest-ever sports star.

During the course of his career, Dunlop secured a total 26 race wins at the TT, including three hat-tricks, and 24 wins at the Ulster Grand Prix.

Dunlop was awarded the MBE in 1986 for his contributions to the sport and the OBE in 1996 for his humanitarian work in Romanian orphanages.

I have photographed him in several different lighting scenarios as I'm told the photos aren't doing the models justice. It was also a bit too big for my lightbox.

I don't know if any of you have heard of this kid but if he keeps going the way he has been he's going to be the bigges...
31/07/2026

I don't know if any of you have heard of this kid but if he keeps going the way he has been he's going to be the biggest star to ever come out of English boxing.

Jayden Price is a 15-year-old British amateur boxing prodigy from Gloucester who fights internationally for Team Bahrain, boasting a remarkable record of 97 wins from 102 fights.

2 X ASIAN CHAMPION
4 X NATIONAL CHAMPION
1 X USA 🇺🇸 NATIONAL CHAMPION
29/29 X BOX CUP

Sculpted from photographs.

Scottish Boxing legends:If you follow boxing at all, check out this guy, Former amateur lightweight champion and now a c...
07/07/2026

Scottish Boxing legends:

If you follow boxing at all, check out this guy, Former amateur lightweight champion and now a coach. Frank Gilfeather. He's in his eighties and is as fit as a butchers dog. His advice is pretty solid too. He once trained with Sugar ray Robinson and fought ken Buchanan, losing a close points decision.
Around the base are other Scottish legends from ancient times before the internet.
Tancy Lee - 1916, Benny Lynch - 1935, Johnny Hill - 1927, Jackie Paterson - 1943, Walter McGowan - 1966, Ken Buchanan - 1971, Jim Watt - 1979, Murray Sutherland - 1984
Sculpted from photographs.

A meaningful moment captured in time: the bride‑to‑be, Shauna walking down the aisle with her late father, Frankie. Scul...
20/06/2026

A meaningful moment captured in time: the bride‑to‑be, Shauna walking down the aisle with her late father, Frankie. Sculpted from the photographs he left behind. Though he passed away last year, his presence is restored here with dignity, warmth, and the quiet pride of a father escorting his daughter on her wedding day. A unique and thoughtful surprise from her husband Emmet.

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) Ali was an American professional boxer a...
10/05/2026

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016)

Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "the Greatest", he is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970, was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978, and was the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

The gap in his dominant reign was due to a ban from boxing for three and a half of his prime years for refusing to participate in the Viet Nam war and is quoted as having said "I ain't got nothing against no Viet Cong; no Viet Cong never called me ni**er."

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