Dean Gardiner (Clonmel BC) and Martin Keenan (Rathkeale BC) will meet in a box-off at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight, May 31st, to decide the super-heavyweight position on the Irish team for next month’s European Elite Men’s Championships in the Ukraine.

Boxing begins at 8pm at the National Stadium. The bout will be decided over three, three-minute rounds.

Keenan is the current Irish Elite super-heavyweight champion. Gardiner, who missed this year’s Championships because of injury, claimed two Elite belts in 2015 as the IABA ran the tournament twice that year to facilitate Ireland’s boxers going into the qualifiers for Rio 2016.

Ireland will send a nine-strong squad to the 42nd European Championships.

European Elite Men’s Championships Kharkiv, Ukraine June 14th/25th 

Irish squad

 

52kg – Flyweight – Brendan Irvine (St Pauls)

56kg – Bantamweight –  Kurt Walker (Canal)

60kg – Lightweight – Patrick Mongan (Olympic)

64kg – Light-welter – Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)

69kg – Welterweight – Steven Donnelly (All Saints)

75kg – Middleweight – Emmett Brennan (Glasnevin)

81kg – Light-heavy – Joe Ward (Moate)

91kg – Heavyweight – Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)

91+kg – Super-heavy – Dean Gardiner (Clonmel) or Martin Keenan (Rathkeale)

Team manager: Gerry O’Mahony

Head Coach: Zaur Antia

Coaches: Dmitry Dimitruc, Jimmy Payne,  Eoin Pluck

Physio: Seamus Caffrey

Doctor: Jim Clover

Strength & Conditioning: John Cleary

Performance Analysis: Alan Swanton

The Rebel County rolled out the red carpet to honour a legend in Cork City on Saturday last.

A plaque to perpetuate the memory and legacy of the late Albie Murphy, the famed Sunnyside BC and Irish coach, was unveiled on the iconic Boxing Wall in Bishop Lucey Park.

President Pat Ryan led a delegation from the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) at the event hosted by the Cork Ex-Boxers Association (CEBA).

Albie Murphy, whose wife Rita and family attended Saturday’s ceremony, was a renowned boxer, coach and administrator.

Michael O’Brien, President of the Cork County Boxing Board (CCBB), described the famed chief seconds as an inspiration.

“His contribution to our sport is now part of Cork folklore. His memory will never be forgotten on Leeside,” he said.

Stephen Connolly, IABA Registrar, paid a warm tribute to CEBA and the CCBB at Saturday’s commemoration.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Des Cahill, was amongst the guests of honour in the park.

Former Minister for Sport, Bernard Allen, recalled the evening when Murphy met another legend of Irish boxing, 1956 Olympic silver medallist Fred Tiedt, at a sold-out City Hall in Cork, Tiedt winning after a superb contest.

All of Cork’s Irish champions of 2017 were honoured at last weekend’s well-attended event. Each boxer was presented with a Jack McAuliffe gold medal.

McAuliffe, who was born adjacent to Bishop Lucey Park, claimed a World title in the USA in 1886 after emigrating with his family to America.

Conal Thomas, Conal’s Tree Services Ltd, sponsored the plaque erected to Albie Murphy, pictured left with two-time Irish Olympian Kieran Joyce.

Pictures courtesy of Dough Minihane.

 

Some of Ireland’s top seconds are this week taking part in an AIBA World 2-Star Coaching Course in the Ukraine.

Antoinette Faye-McClean, Michael Mongan (Olympic BC), Patrick McDonagh (Geesala BC) and Tom Murray (Muskerry BC) are working Ireland’s corner in Lviv.

The course, which is run by the Ukrainian Boxing Federation and the European Boxing Confederation at the Lviv Sports University and Lviv Hotel, is open to coaches who have earned AIBA 1-Star Coach Certification credentials.

The course runs until June 5 in Lviv.

The final squad training session before the Junior Cadet Championships will take place this Sunday, May 28th at the National Stadium from 11am – 3:30pm.

All boxers who are last season’s Boy 1 and Boy 2 Champions plus Cadet Champions at those ages and all our current Boy 2 and Boy 3 Champions are asked to attend.

Boxers are asked to attend with full boxing gear and water for two sessions.