George Bates and Sofiane Oumiha

IRELAND recorded 11 victories on Day 1 of their Elite International Round Robin with France, Germany, Italy and Russia at Dublin’s National Stadium tonight.

Galway southpaw Patrick Mongan stole the show with a sensational win over Russia’s Rio 2016 bronze medallist Vladimir Nikitin in the lightweight class.

Nikitin, who beat Michael Conlan in the bantam quarter-finals at Rio 2016 but who has moved up to light, probably shaded the first on body shots with the Olympic BC man on the ropes at times, but Mongan upped the tempo and came storming back to take rounds two and three and a deserved 4-1 split.

“We’re absolutely delighted with the win, an absolutely brilliant performance from Pat,” said Olympic BC coach Mike Mongan, who had vowed before this meeting that the current Elite champion would ask some big questions of the Olympic and World medallist.

Christina Desmond, Kellie Harrington. Rio Olympians Brendan Irvine and Steven Donnelly, Dean Gardiner, Ken Ogubgbowa, Carly McNaul, Sean McComb, Martin Keenan and Kurt Walker also won this evening.

Darren O’Neill almost did the business against current Olympic champion  Evgeny Tischenko, but the towering Russian heavy got the nod on a 3-2 split after a see-saw three rounds.

“It didn’t bother me that’s he’s the Olympic champion. I thought I nicked it,” said O’Neill, with some justification. “Look the important thing is that I get the rounds under my belt ahead of the Europeans.” O’Neill and Tisckenko were tied a 1-1 in personnel head-to-heads going into the third meeting at the home of Irish boxing.

Martin Keenan had his hand raised in victory on a 4-0 verdict after Ivan Veriasov received a public warning for holding in the second round in the final bout of Day 1 in the super-heavy class.

A big performance from the Rathkeale BC man. Likewise with Dubliner George Bates – and the rest of the Irish squad – who asked some serious questions of French Rio 2016 silver medallist Sofiane Oumiha.

The Boys Are Back In Town was playing as Keenan was leaving the ring. They are indeed, and so are the girls. They won three from three today, with an elated Carly McNaul receiving congratulations from Anna Moore, who Harrington described as the “mammy of Irish boxing”, after her victory.

Newly appointed High-Performance Director Bernard Dunne was at ringside for all the action on the opening day of the tournament.

Boxing resumes at 11am tomorrow. The full program will be available in the morning.

International Elite Round Robin National Stadium Dublin

April 28th

Ireland B v France (+ Italy, Germany, and Russia) (2pm)
75kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) beat  Assunta Canfora (Italy) 5-0
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Flora Pili (France) 5-0
56kg Jordan Rodriguez (France) beat Stephen McKenna (Ireland) 5-0
60kg Sofiane Oumiha (France) beat George Bates (Ireland) 5-0
64kg Wahlid Hambli (France) beat Wayne Kelly (Ireland) 4-1
69kg Steven Donnelly (Ireland) beat Artem Zaitsev (Russia) 4-1
75kg Artur Beck (Germany) beat Bengoro Bamba (France) 3-2
81kg Diabira Mamadou (France) beat Michael Frayne (Ireland) 5-0
91kg Ken Okungbowa (Ireland) beat Paul OmbaBiongolo (France) 5-0
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Ireland) beat  Djamili Dini Aboudou Moinze (France) 4-1

Germany v Italy (+ Ireland and Russia) (5.30pm)

49kg Salah Abrahim (Germany) beat Federico Serra (Italy) 4-1
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) beat Roberta Mostarda (Italy) 3-2
56kg Raffaele Di Serio (Italy) beat Dominik Hirsch (Germany) 5-0
60kg Guiseppe Canonico (Italy) beat Artur Bril (Germany) 4-1
64kg Gabil Memedov (Russia) beat Robert Harutyunyan (Germany) 4-1
64kg Paolo Di Lernia (Italy) beat Dmitri Polianski (Russia) 3-2
69kg Vincenzo Arecchia (Italy) beat Christian Dezel (Germany) 5-0
75kg Salvatore Cavallaro (Italy) beat Brian Hellwig (Germany) 4-1
81kg Federico Antonaci (Italy) beat Ibragim Bazuev (Germany) TKOI3
91kg Simone Fiori (Italy) beat Nikolas Weizmann (Germany) 5-0
91+kg Guido Vianello (Italy) beat Artem Suslenkov (Russia) 5-0

Ireland A v Russia (+ Italy)

49kg Vasili Egorov (Russia) beat Blaine Dobbins (Ireland) 5-0
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat  Tamil Galonov (Russia) 4-1
52kg Manuel Cappai (Italy) beat Vadim Kudriakov (Russia) 5-0
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Bakhtovar Nazirov (Russia) 4-1
60kg Patrick Mongan (Ireland) beat  Vladimir Nikitin (Russia) 4-1
64kg Sean McComb (Ireland) beat Vitaly Dunaystev (Russia) 5-0
69kg Sergei Sobylinskii (Russia) beat Dean Walsh (Ireland) 3-2
75kg Emmett Brennan (Ireland) lost to  Petr Khamukov (Russia) 0-5
81kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) lost to  Georgii Kushitshvii (Russia) fight stopped after Khamukov suffers head wound in first) RSCI1
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) lost to Evgeny Tischenko (Russia) 2-3
91+kg Martin Keenan (Ireland) beat Ivan Veriasov (Russia) 4-0

Dates

April 29th

Ireland B v Germany (11am)

Russia v Italy (3pm)

Ireland A v France (7pm)

April 30th (10am)

Ireland A v Germany

Russia v France

Ireland B v Italy

Teams

Ireland A

Men

49kg Blaine Dobbins (St Josephs, Derry)

52kg Brendan Irvine (St Pauls)

56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)

60kg Patrick Mongan (Olympic)

64kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)

69kg Dean Walsh (St Josephs/St Ibars)

75kg Emmett Brennan (Glasnevin)

81kg Anthony Browne (St Michaels, Dublin)

91kg Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)

91kg+ Martin Keenan (Rathkeale)

Women

51kg Carly McNaul (Ormeau Road)

60kg Kellie Harrington (St Marys)

75kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans)

Ireland B

Men

49kg Connor Jordan (St Aidans)

52kg Thomas McCarthy (Brian Dillons)

56kg Stephen McKenna (Old School)

60kg George Bates (St Marys)

64kg Wayne Kelly (Ballynacargy)

69kg Stephen Donnelly (All Sainst)

75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)

81kg Michael Frayne (St Marys)

91kg Ken Ogunkbowa (Athlone)

91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)

Women

51kg —

60kg —

75kg Grainne Walsh (Sparticus)

France

Kellie Harrington (red)

Please note there has been a number of changes to today’s program for the international Elite Round Robin featuring Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Russia at Dublin’s National Stadium.

World Elite silver medallist Kellie Harrington meets Flora Pili today and Sean McComb has had a change of opponent tonight.

Boxing begins at 2pm today. A second session begins at 5.30pm and runs straight through the evening.

There will also be sessions on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

International Elite Round Robin National Stadium Dublin

April 28th

Ireland B v France (+ Italy and Russia) (2pm)

75kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) V Assunta Canfora (Italy)
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) V Flora Pile (France)
56kg Stephen McKenna (Ireland) V Jordan Rodriguez (France)
60kg George Bates (Ireland) V Sofiane Oumiha (France)
64kg Wayne Kelly (Ireland) V Wahlid Hambli (France)
69kg Steven Donnelly (Ireland) V Artem Zaitsev (Russia)
81kg Michael Frayne (Ireland) V Diabira Mamadou (France)
91kg Ken Okungbowa (Ireland) V Paul OmbaBiongolo (France)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Ireland) V Djamili Dini Aboudou Moinze (France)

Germany v Italy (+ Ireland and Russia) (5.30pm)

49kg Salah Abrahim (Germany) V Federico Serra (Italy)
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) V Roberta Mostarda (Italy)
56kg Dominik Hirsch (Germany) V Raffaele Di Serio (Italy)
60kg Artur Bril (Germany) V Francescco Iozia (Italy)
64kg Robert Harutyunyan (Germany) V Paolo Di Lernia (Italy)
69kg Christian Dezel (Germany) V Vincenzo Arecchia (Italy)
75kg Artur Beck (Germany) V Salvatore Cavallaro (Italy)
81kg Ibragim Bazuev (Germany) V Federico Antonaci (Italy)
91kg Nikolas Weizmann (Germany) V Simone Fiori (Italy)
91+kg Artem Suslenkov (Russia) V Guido Vianello (Italy)

Ireland A v Russia

49kg Blaine Dobbins (Ireland) V Vasili Egorov (Russia)
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) V Vadim Kudriakov (Russia)
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) V Bakhtovar Nazirov (Russia)
60kg Patrick Mongan (Ireland) V Vladimir Nikitin (Russia)
64kg Sean McComb (Ireland) V Aital Diakonov (Russia)
69kg Dean Walsh (Ireland) V Sergei Sobylinskii (Russia)
75kg Emmett Brennan (Ireland) V Petr Khamukov (Russia)
81kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) V Georgii Kushitshvii (Russia)
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) V Evgeny Tischenko (Russia)
91+kg Martin Keenan (Ireland) V Ivan Veriasov (Russia)

Bernard Dunne

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) are delighted to announce that Bernard Dunne has been appointed High-Performance Director with the IABA.

The former WBA World super-bantamweight and three-time Irish Elite champion will work with head coach Zaur Antia and the Irish coaching staff at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin.

“My vision is to take the very best in the current system and match it with the very latest in high-performance training so that our men and women can perform and win at European, World and Olympic level, said Dublin-born Dunne after today’s appointment was confirmed in Abbotstown.

“Their attitude, commitment and work ethics are equally as important as their talents. So, I will be working with the boxers and the coaches to get the very best from their training regimes, diets, as well as their physical, mental and all round development,” he added.

Today’s press conference in Abbotstown

Fergal Carruth, IABA chief executive, said: We are confident that Bernard and the rest of the High-Performance Team are now well placed to maximise the conveyor belt of talent that exists in Irish boxing evidenced by the continued success of our youth boxers in international competition.”

Sport Ireland chairman Kieran Mulvey believes Dunne’s experience between the ropes in both codes is ideal to lead Irish boxing into the Tokyo 2020 cycle.

He said: “On behalf of Sport Ireland I would like to congratulate Bernard on his appointment. Bernard brings with him a wealth of experience in both the amateur and professional environment, and is the ideal candidate to lead Ireland’s boxing programme as we enter the Tokyo 2020 cycle,” he said.

“Boxing has traditionally been one of Ireland’s most successful sports and we look forward to even more success under Bernard’s leadership long into the future.”

Dunne Dunne will take up the appointment with immediate effect and will be at the weekend’s Elite International Round Robin featuring Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Russia at the National Stadium.