Clara Copley was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 woman who was born into a family of circus

Circus

A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...

 performers. Copley was the proprietor of organized boxing matches at Belfast Chapel Fields Arena in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 during the 1930s. A number of men fought in her earlier boxing booth and her later arena matches for the prize moneys offered. One of the boxers was Rinty Monaghan

Rinty Monaghan

John Joseph "Rinty" Monaghan was a former world flyweight boxing champion from Belfast. He became famous in the post-war period, eventually rising to become undisputed world champion and a hero to many people in his home city....

 who became World Boxing Association

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

 World Champion in the Flyweight

Flyweight

Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...

 division by knocking out reigning champion Jackie Paterson

Jackie Paterson

Jackie Paterson was a Scottish boxer who was world flyweight boxing champion. He was also British champion at flyweight and bantamweight.-Early life:...

 on 23 March 1948 at King's Hall, Belfast

King's Hall, Belfast

The King's Hall Complex is a multi-purpose venue located on the Lisburn Road, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the largest exhibition venue in Northern Ireland and prior to the completion of the Odyssey and the Waterfront Hall, was the only large concert venue in Northern Ireland...

. Other Irish boxers who took to prize-money matches in Copley's ring include Bantamweight

Bantamweight

Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

 Ed Bunty Doran, who was often pitted against Monaghan in the professional ring and later became an Irish champion; Welterweight

Welterweight

Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...

 Tommy Armour

Tommy Armour

Thomas Dickson Armour was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot.Armour was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated at Fettes College and the University of Edinburgh....

 who later knocked out British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Welterweight Champion Eric Boon

Eric Boon

Eric Boon was a champion British lightweight boxer. Born in Chatteris Cambridgeshire, he was known by the nicknames Boy Boon and the Fen Tiger...

; and Flyweight Jimmy Warnock

Jimmy Warnock

James "Jimmy" Warnock was a southpaw boxer from the Shankill Road, Belfast, United Kingdom..Jimmy Warnock began his early boxing career at Belfast's Chapel Fields in prize fights organised by Clara Copley...

, one of the first from Copley's rings to make money professionally.