ɹˈiə bɪkˌeɪm ðɪ ˈaɪɹɪʃ pɹəfˈɛʃənəl tʃˈæmpiən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɛvən θɹuː hɪz dᵻfˈiːt ʌv dʒˈæk bˈeɪts ænd ɹᵻtˈeɪnd ðə tʃˈæmpiənʃˌɪp ʌntˈɪl hiː wʌz dᵻfˈiːɾᵻd baɪ ˈælɪks hˈɪɡɪnz ɪn dʒˈænjuːˌɛɹi nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti tˈuː.
Rea became the Irish Professional Champion in 1947 through his defeat of Jack Bates and retained the championship until he was defeated by Alex Higgins in January 1972.