Elite Schoolboys Squad Training will take place this Sunday, April 10th in the High Performance Gym at the National Boxing Stadium.

Training commences at 11am with a check weigh-in at 10:45am first. There will be two sessions on the day. 11am-12:30pm and 2pm-3:30pm with dinner served between sessions.

Boxers eligible to participate are all our new National Champions at Boy 2 and Boy 3 plus last seasons Boy 1 and Boy 2 Champions who are this seasons current Boy 2/3 boxers.

Full training gear essential – 16oz. sparring gloves, headguards, wraps, gumshields, groin guard, skipping rope, bag gloves and water for two sessions. A change of clothes may be desirable also.

 

Ireland’s Elite boxers are winding down their training camp in Assisi, Italy ahead of the European Olympic qualifiers in Samsun, Turkey.

Boxing begins on Saturday in Samsun.

The top two females (finalists) in the three Olympic weights for women – flyweight, lightweight and middleweight – qualify for Rio at the 39-nation tournament.

The top three males in the ten weight classes qualify. The finalist automatically go through and the beaten semi-finalists box-off for the remaining places.

Thirty Olympic places are up for grabs for men in Samsun and six for women.

233 men and 59 women have entered.

The European qualifiers are the final continental route to Rio following the completion of the Americas, African and Asia/Oceania events earlier this month and in March.

201 boxers, including the six host places for Brazil, will have booked tickets for the 31st Olympiad after the final bell tolls in Samsun. 26 boxer – 250 men and 36 women – compete at each Olympics.

Following Samsun, three qualifiers will remain through the World Women’s Elite Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, May 19/27, a final AIBA Open Boxing (regular amateur boxing)  for men in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14/26, and a World Series of Boxing versus AIBA Pro Boxing clash in either late June or early July at a host city to be confirmed.

Team Ireland are training with Italy, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Finland, Sweden in Assisi this week.

Katie Taylor and Ceire Smith left Assisi for Samsun early this morning along with interim head coach Zaur Antia. The Irish duo could be in action Saturday. The rest of the Irish squad will have a light training session in Assisi today before joining their compatriots in Turkey tomorrow.

Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, Steven Donnelly and Joe Ward have qualified for Rio 2016.

Barnes, Conlan and Ward are also in training camp in Assisi. The Rio trio return home tomorrow. Donnelly was in action – he won –  in the World Series of Boxing last weekend in Poland.

 

Team Ireland European Olympic Qualifiers Samsun, Turkey

 

 

Female

 

51kg – Flyweight

 

Ceire Smith

 

Age: 23

 

Club: Cavan BC

 

Stance: Orthodox

 

Major honours: Four Irish Elites titles. Felix Stamm multi-nations silver 2015

 

AIBA World rank: 24

 

Flyweight entry in Samsun: 21

 

 

 

60kg Lightweight

 

Katie Taylor

 

Club: Bray BC

 

Age: 29

 

Stance: Orthodox

 

Major honours: Current Olympic, World, European Elite, European Games, European Union and Irish champion

 

AIBA World Rank: No. 1

 

Lightweight entry in Samsun: 22

 

 

75kg – Middleweight

 

Christina Desmond

 

Club: Fr Horgan’s BC (Cork)

 

Age: 19

 

Stance: Southpaw

 

Major honours: Current Irish Elite champion. World Youth silver medallist. Irish Youth Olympian

 

AIBA rank: Not Ranked

 

Middleweight entry in Samsun: 16

 

 

Men

 

52kg – Flyweight

 

Brendan Irvine

 

Club: St Paul’s (Antrim)

 

Age: 19

 

Stance: Orthodox

 

Major honours: Two-time (current) Irish Elite champion. European Games 2015 silver medallist

 

AIBA rank:  No. 6 at light-flyweight. (Brendan has since moved up to flyweight).

 

Flyweight entry in Samsun: 18

 

 

60kg – Lightweight

 

David Oliver Joyce

 

Club. (David Oliver is contracted to AIBA Pro Boxing (APB). Formerly of the St Michael’s Athy BC)

 

Age: 29

 

Stance: Orthodox

 

Major honours: Six time (current) Irish Elite champion. Three-time European Union (current). Ex World Series of Boxing

 

APB rank from 2015 season. No. 4

 

Lightweight entry in Samsun: 26

 

 

 

 

64kg – Light-welterweight

 

Dean Walsh

 

Club: St Ibars/St Josephs (Wexford)

 

Age: 21

 

Stance: Orthodox

 

Major honours: Three time (current) Irish Elite champion. 2015 European Elite bronze medallist

 

AIBA World rank: No. 22

 

Light-welter entry in Samsun: 24

 

 

 

 

75kg – Middleweight

 

Michael O’Reilly

 

Club: Portlaoise

 

Age: 22

 

Stance: Orthodox

 

Major honours: Three time (current) Irish Elite champion: 2015 European Games champion. 2015 World Elite bronze medallist

 

AIBA World rank: No. 2

 

Middleweight entry in Samsun: 32

 

 

 

 

91kg – Heavyweight

 

Darren O’Neill

 

Club: Paulstown (Kilkenny)

 

Age: 30

 

Stance: Southpaw

 

Major honours: Six time (current) Irish Elite champion. London 2012 Olympian. 2010 European Elite silver medallist. European Union gold. World Series of Boxing

 

AIBA World rank: No. 37

 

Heavyweight entry in Samsun: 24

 

 

 

91+kg – Super heavyweight

 

Dean Gardiner

 

Club: Clonmel

 

Age: 28

 

Stance: Orthodox

 

Major honours: Two-time (current) Irish Elite champion. Feliks Stamm multi-nation silver 2014. World Series of Boxing

 

AIBA World rank: No. 40

 

Super-heavyweight entry in Samsun: 19

 

 

 

Team manager: Joe Hennigan

Coaches: Zaur Antia, Eddie Bolger, John Conlan

 

 

 

 

Please open below attachment for revised Circular for Boy 4 and Youth 1 & 2 Championships.

Revised in relation to change of venue for Antrim weigh-in.

Boxing begins on April 15 at Dublin’s National Stadium.

Weigh-ins will be held at provincial venues next Sunday morning, April 10.

 

 

 

Thirty nine nations represented by 233 male and 59 female boxers will compete at the European Olympic qualifiers in Samsun, Turkey.

Ireland will send a nine-strong team to Samsun. Boxing begins Saturday at the Mustafa Dagıstanlı kapalı spor salonu, pictured above.

Click here and here for schedule and list of countries entered.

Team Ireland are currently in training camp in Assis, Italy ahead of the qualifiers.

 

Irish squad European Olympic qualifiers Samsun, Turkey April 7/17

Female

51kg Ceire Smith (Cavan)

60kg Katie Taylor (Bray)

75kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans)

Male

52kg Brendan Irvine (St Pauls)

60kg David Oliver Joyce (AIBA Pro Boxing)

64kg Dean Walsh (St Joesphs/St Ibars)

75kg Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise)

91kg Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)

91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)

Team manager: Joe Hennigan

Coaches: Zaur Antia, Eddie Bolger, John Conlan

————-

(Also in training camp in Assisi)

49kg Paddy Barnes (Holy Family)

56kg Michael Conlan (Clonard)

81kg Joe Ward (AIBA Pro Boxing)