Elite champion Kurt Walker, Steven Ward and Garry McKenna impressed on Day 1 of a multi-nations tournament in Rostov, Russia yesterday, with all three Ulster aces beating Russian opponents.

Elite finalist Connor Wallace and Aiden Walsh dropped close split decisions to Russia and Azerbaijan. Walsh boxed very well in his first senior fight without headgear, according to coach John Conlan.

Walker, meantime, put in a big performed less than a week after claiming his second Elite belt, and Ward TKO’d his opponent. McKenna boxed exceptionally from distance.

All three will be in semi-final action today, along with 2015 Elite finalist TJ Waite.

The Ulster squad are due to arrive home on December 21st. Teams from Russia, Ulster, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan and Ukraine are competing in Rostov.
December 18th S/Finals
52kg TJ Waite v Ukraine
56kg Kurt Walker v Russia
60kg Gary McKenna v Russia
91kg Stevie ward v Russia

Ulster Squad

52kg TJ Waite (Ormeau Road)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
60kg Gary McKenna (Old School)
64kg Aiden Walsh (Holy Family)
75kg Conor Wallace (St Monica’s)
91kg Steven Ward (Monkstown

The Ireland boxing squad once again led the way for Irish sport this year with ten medals – five gold – at three majors tournaments.

The squad have been shortlisted for the RTE Sports Team of the Year Awards on Saturday night. The winner will be chosen by public vote.

Team Ireland appeared in three World and European tournaments in 2015 and commanded top four positions in the medals table on each occasion.

Michel Conlan, who has been nominated for the RTE Sports Person of the Year, Joe Ward and Michael O’Reilly grabbed the headlines after taking home four gold, one silver and one bronze between them.

Rio 2016 Olympian Conlan secured double gold at the Europeans and Worlds, becoming the first Irishman to finish on top of an AIBA World Elite podium into the bargain. He also collected the Best Boxer Award at the European Championships. The double lifted Conlan to No. 1 in the World in the bantamweight rankings.

Ward won gold and silver – and a place at the Rio Olympics – at the European and World Championships, and O’Reilly bagged gold and bronze at the European Games and World Championships.

The peerless Katie Taylor won gold at the European Games.

The 2015 World Men’s Championships marked Ireland’s most successful campaign at this level since the inaugural tournament in Havana in 1974. The three medals, courtesy of Conlan, Ward and O’Reilly, surpassed Ireland’s previous best at the 2013 Worlds in Kazakhstan where Jason Quigley and Joe Ward won silver and bronze.

Tune into RTE One on Saturday night. Broadcast begins at 9.40pm.

 

 

 

Irish Boxing Team Medal Haul

1st European Games, Baku, Azerbaijan (June)

60kg Katie Taylor (Bray) (gold)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise) (gold)
49kg Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s) (silver)
60kg (Sean McComb (Holy Trinity (bronze)

Best Female Athlete (all sports) Katie Taylor

Ireland finish in third position in medals table. 40 nations compete.

 

 

European Men’s Elite Championships, Samokov, Bulgaria (August)

56kg Michael Conlan (Clonard) (gold)
81kg Joe Ward (AIBA Pro Boxing/Moate) (gold)
64kg Dean Walsh (St Josephs) (bronze)

Best Boxer: Michael Conlan

Joe Ward becomes first Irish male boxer (Katie Taylor has won six) to win two European Elite gold medals.

Ireland finished in 2nd spot in medals table. 44 nations compete.

 

 

World Men’s Elite Championships and Olympic Qualifiers, Doha, Qatar (October)

56kg Michael Conlan (Clonard) (gold)
81kg Joe Ward (AIBA Pro Boxing/Moate) (silver)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise) (bronze)

Michael Conlan becomes first Irish male boxer (Katie Taylor has won five) to win AIBA World Elite gold

Ireland finish in 4th spot in medals table. 73 nations compete.

Ward qualifies for Olympics in Doha. Conlan had already qualified for Olympics through World Series of Boxing, but met the qualification standard again in Doha.

 

 

Ireland’s AOB, WSB and APB boxers are heading into a crucial New Year with four roads remaining to Rio 2016.

The first qualifier for men and women will take place in Istanbul, Turkey in May following by the AIBA World Elite Women’s Championships in Kazakhstan next May.

WSB and APB boxers meet in a tournament in May and the final qualifier – for men – is in Baku, Azerbaijan next June.

So far, Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, Steven Donnelly and Joe Ward have qualified for Rio 2016 in the light-fly, bantam, welter and light-heavy classes.

Nine further places will be up for grabs for Irish boxing between now and next summer.

Meanwhile, Brendan Irvine, Kurt Walker, Dean Walsh, Adam Nolan, Michael O’Reilly, Darren O’Neill and Dean Gardiner joined an illustrious group last Friday after winning – they also claimed Elite belts in January – their 2nd Elite titles of 2015 at Dublin’s National Stadium.

In 2003, Olympic silver medallist Ken Egan, Andy Lee, the current WBO champion, Andrew Murray, Paul Hyland, Paul McCloskey and Alan Reynolds secured two Elite belts apiece in the same twelve months.

The IABA – as they are for the Rio 2016 qualifiers – ran the National Elite Championships twice in 2003 to assist Ireland’s boxers heading into the Athens 2004 qualifiers, with Lee, who defends his WBO belt against British 2008 Olympian Billy Joe Saunders on Saturday, becoming Ireland’s only representative at Athens 2004, although Egan, Murray and McCloskey were unlucky not to book tickets for the 28th Olympiad.

Meantime, Irvine is the only one of the above group to secure a brace of titles in the same year at two different weight classes – light-fly and fly.

He also scooped the Best Boxer Award last Friday.

 

Remaining roads to Rio 2016

AOB
Men and Women: Istanbul, Turkey, April 20/May 1

APB/WSB
Men: Sofia, Bulgaria, May 13/22

AOB
World Women’s Elite Championships, Astana, Kazakhstan May 19/27

AOB
Men: Final World qualifier: Baku, Azerbaijan, June 7/19

 

 

 

Michael Conlan and the Irish Boxing squad have been shortlisted for the RTE Sports Person of the Year Award and the RTE Sport Team of the Year Award.

Conlan is among 14 nominees, along with Irish Olympian Andy Lee, the current WBO champion, golfer Rory McIlroy and rugby legend Paul O’Connell and others.

Conlan became the first Irish male boxer to win an AIBA World Elite title in Doha, Qatar this year. The Belfast orthodox, who captained the Irish squad in the Persian Gulf, also won European Elite gold in Bulgaria last summer and walked off with the Best Boxer Award.

Conlan also has the distinction of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio twice in 2015, once through the World Series of Boxing with Italia Thunder and again, courtesy of winning gold in Doha.

His two gold medal wins in World and European competition lifted the London 2012 bronze medallist to No. 1 in the AIBA World Elite bantamweight rankings. He’s the only Irish boxer besides Olympic champion Katie Taylor and John Joe Nevin to occupy pole position.

The Irish Boxing squad are also in the running for the top Team Award. Ireland won ten medals –  five gold, two silver and three bronze – at the inaugural European Games, the European Elite Men’s Championships and the World Elite Men’s Championships in 2015.

Katie Taylor and Michael O’Reilly won double gold at the European Games, while Conlan and Joe Ward struck double gold at the European Elites and Conlan finished on top of the 56kg podium in Qatar.

Joe Ward and Brendan Irvine secured a brace of silver medals at the World Elites and European Games and Michael O’Reilly, Dean Walsh and Sean McComb claimed bronze at the World Elites, European Elites and European Games.

Former Irish head coach Billy Walsh has been nominated for the RTE Sport Manager of the Year Award.

The winners will be unveiled next Saturday. Click here for list of nominees.

The Ulster High Performance side are en route to Rostov, Russia today.

Two-time Elite champion Kurt Walker, and Elite finalists TJ Waite and Conor Wallace are included in the six-strong panel.

The team will take part in multi-nation development competition featuring the host nation, Kazakhstan, China, Belarus and Azerbaijan, according to  coach John Conlan.

“It’s a quality tournament and the squad are looking forward to getting a lot of work done and meeting quality opposition,” said Ulster’s chief seconds.

Walker, who will wear the bantamweight vest in Rostov, claimed his second 56kg Elite belt inside twelve months at Dublin’s National Stadium last Friday.

Waite and Wallace reached the 52kg and 75kg finals at the home of Irish boxing.

Ulster Squad

52kg TJ Waite (Ormeau Road)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
60kg Gary McKenna (Old School)
64kg Aiden Walsh (Holy Family)
75kg Conor Wallace (St Monica’s)
91kg Steven Ward (Monkstown)