BBC News
By Peter Crutchley
Boxing promoters are generally thought of as being fast-talking alpha males, but in Belfast in the 1930s one celebrated promoter couldn t have been further removed from this stereotype.
Long before there was Don King, Barney Eastwood and Eddie Hearn, Clara Copley - affectionately known as Ma - was a pioneer in the fight business, giving many young boxers their start and providing them with much needed income during a period of financial hardship.
For her granddaughter, Doreen Devenney, Ma Copley s achievements in a male-dominated field remains a source of great pride. People still talk about my grandmother. I grew up living in the caravan beside her and have many happy memories of being with her and watching the boxing.