Why is Brendan Irvine called the Wee Rooster?

Paddy Barnes is jokingly called ‘Dustin the Turkey’ by his Irish team mates, but Brendan Irvine’s avian nickname isn’t one based on slagging.

Wee Rooster gets his Olympic Games underway this afternoon at 3:15pm Irish time against Uzbek Shakhobidin Zoirov, and many will be wondering just where the 20 year old got his ring moniker.

Before he flew off to rule the roost in Rio, Irvine spoke to Irish-Boxing.com and explained that the name came from “my brother-in-law Mark.”

“It was like a saying in my house, we always used to say it to my niece – go on ya wee rooster.”

“And then I always kept saying it, kept saying it, and everyone started calling me wee rooster and that’s where it stuck, it’s a family thing.”