Former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan reminded himself what it was like to win a title last night – even if he had to beat a girl to do so.
The ‘Clones Cyclone' became the ‘Mash Master' as he won ITV's reality cookery series ‘Hell's Kitchen', beating some lass called Adele who apparently plays a harlot in a soap opera.
Other competitors, some of whom were supposed to be celebrities, all seemed to genuinely like good guy Barry. His status as a boxing legend did him no harm as no one dared to engage in futile arguments with him for fear of being iced over the stove.
His highlight was probably calling shopworn bigot Jim Davidson ‘a rattlesnake', although my particular favourite was the only time he lost his cool in the whole series – during the final – when he almost starched sous chef Tim after he refused to show Barry how to dress a fish cake, sending 80s crooner Paul Young to do it in his stead.
“I thought I'd achieved greatness when I beat the legendary Eusebio Pedroza to win the world title but that pales into insignificance in comparison with learning how to poach an egg properly,” McGuigan didn't say.
“This is the biggest hit I've had since I broke Bernard Taylor's ribs. I thought it was hot when I made the ridiculous decision to fight Stevie Cruz in the Nevada desert but standing next to a stove with a ridiculous bandana preparing mange tout…let's just say if I'd have trained for my comeback with Marco Pierre White, I would definitely have beaten Jim McDonnell,” McGuigan also didn't say.