Team Ireland are staying sharp ahead of the opening bell for the 19th World Elite Championships in Hamburg, Germany, according to IABA High-Performance Director Bernard Dunne.

 

Ireland’s five strong squad arrived in Hamburg yesterday ahead of the 85-nation competition.

 

“We’re keeping sharp and monitoring weight. The hard work is already done,” said Dunne, the Irish team manager in Germany.

 

Boxing begins on Friday at the flagship tournament of international boxing and the biggest tournament since Rio 2016.

 

Joe Ward, the Irish captain in Hamburg, is aiming for his third successive World medal.

 

Kurt Walker and Sean McComb could be in action Friday as the bantamweights and light-welterweights are in action on Day 1.

 

Meantime, this is the third occasion that Germany has hosted the World Championships which has been running since Havana 1974.

 

In 1982, Tommy Corr claimed bronze in Munich, Ireland’s first medal at this level.

 

Ireland also competed at the 1995 Worlds in Berlin where Cuba’s Juan Hernandez-Sierra, who was beaten by Michael Carruth in the 1992 Olympic final, claimed his third successive World gold.

 

Hernandez-Cruz, with four gold and one bronze, is the second most successful boxer at this level behind his compatriot Felix Savon who has claimed six gold and one bronze.

 

All boxers – except for the 10 hosts places and 10 wild cards – qualified for Hamburg from the five Continental Championships.

 

Irish Squad: World Elite Men’s Championships Hamburg, Germany August 25th/September 2nd

52kg Brendan Irvine  (St Paul’s)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
64kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
81kg Joe Ward (Moate) cpt
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)

Team manager/High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan and Dmitry Dimitruc
Doctor: Jim Clover
Physio: Seamus Caffrey
Performance Analysis: Alan Swanton
R&J: Ben McGarrigle

 

 

 

 

Team Ireland are en route to Germany this morning ahead of the start of the World Elite Men’s Championships on Friday.

 

85 nations will compete in Hamburg at the 19th edition of the tournament since Havana 1974.

 

Brendan Irvine, Kurt Walker, Sean McComb, Joe Ward and Dean Gardiner qualified to represent Ireland in Hamburg from June’s European Championships in the Ukraine.

 

Three-time European Elite champion Ward is Irish team captain.

 

“The squad have come through a tough qualifier (Europeans) and finished in fourth place in the medals table in doing so. They all have plenty of international experience,” said Bernard Dunne, IABA High-Performance Director and Team Manager in Germany.

 

Walker and McComb could be in action Friday as the bantamweights and light-welterweights are between the ropes on Day 1, according to the schedule.

 

The finals will be decided on September 2. Irish boxing has reached the middleweight, bantamweight and light-heavyweight finals at the last two World Championships in Kazakhstan and Qatar, courtesy of Jason Quigley (silver), Michael Conlan (gold) and Joe Ward (silver).

 

The trio are the only Irish male boxers to reach an AIBA World Elite final.

 

Click here for squad profiles.

 

Irish Squad: World Elite Men’s Championships Hamburg, Germany August 25th/September 2nd

52kg Brendan Irvine  (St Paul’s)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
64kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
81kg Joe Ward (Moate) cpt
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)

Team manager/High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan and Dmitry Dimitruc
Doctor: Jim Clover
Physio: Seamus Caffrey
Performance Analysis: Alan Swanton
R&J: Ben McGarrigle

 

 

 

 

 

Team Ireland depart for Germany tomorrow morning, August 22nd, ahead of the start of the 19th edition of the AIBA World Men’s Elite Championships in Hamburg on Friday.

Ireland’s five strong squad finished up their final training camp at the Institute of Sport In Sheffield last Friday.

Irish Profiles

Boxing2017 – IRL Dean Gardiner +91kg

Boxing2017 – IRL Joseph Ward 81kg

Boxing2017 – IRL Sean McComb 64kg

Boxing2017 – IRL Kurt Walker 56kg

Boxing2017 – IRL Brendan Irvine 52kg

Three-time European Elite champion, Joe Ward, the 2015 and 2013 World Elite finalist and semi-finalist, is Irish team captain.

 

World Elite Men’s Championships Hamburg, Germany August 25th/September 2nd

 

Irish squad

52kg Brendan Irvine  (St Paul’s)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
64kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
81kg Joe Ward (Moate) cpt
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)

Team manager/High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan and Dmitry Dimitruc
Physio: Seamus Caffrey
Performance Analysis: Alan Swanton
R&J: Ben McGarrigle

 

 

Team Ireland finish up their final training camp before the 85-nation 2017 AIBA World Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield today.

 

The 19th World Elite Men’s Championships begin next Friday, August 25th, in Hamburg, Germany.

 

The squad return home this evening and fly out to Germany next Tuesday.

 

 

Brendan Irvine, Kurt Walker, Sean McComb, Joe Ward and Dean Gardiner will represent Ireland in Hamburg in the fly, bantam, light-welter, light-heavy and super-heavy classes.

 

All five qualified for the tournament at the European Elite Championships in the Ukraine in June.

 

Please click here for a statement from AIBA in relation to their court case in Lausanne, Switzerland yesterday.

 

Ireland, under coaches Zaur Antia and John Conlan, trained and sparred with England, Bulgaria, France, New Zealand and Scotland in Sheffield.

 

Irish Squad: World Elite Men’s Championships Hamburg, Germany August 25th/September 2nd

52kg Brendan Irvine  (St Paul’s)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
64kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
81kg Joe Ward (Moate)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)

Team manager/High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan and Dmitry Dimitruc
Physio: Seamus Caffrey
Performance Analysis: Alan Swanton
R&J: Ben McGarrigle