Elite Schoolboys Squad Training resumes at the National Boxing Stadium on Sunday, November 22nd, for all last seasons Boy 1 and Boy 2 champions plus Cadet Champions at those age groups.

Training is from 11am – 12:30pm and 2pm – 3:30pm with dinner served between sessions.

Boxers are advised to bring full boxing gear – 16oz (good quality) sparring gloves, bag gloves, skipping rope, headguard, groin guard, gum shield, wraps, towel, change of clothes and water for two sessions.

Boxers initially weigh-in at 10:45am in the High Performance Gym before training commences.

Boy 3 and Boy 4 Champions plus Cadet Champions at those ages, will return to squad training the following Sunday, November 29th , and it will continue as week on week off after that.

Clubs are asked to notify Schoolboys Coordinator Paddy Gallagher if they can’t attend by contacting 087-6286269 or paddythegaa59@gmail.com

Irish and Germany squads in Poland

266 boxers representing 37 nations will compete at the European Youth Championships in Kolobrzeg, Poland.

The Championships begin at the Hala Millennium Arena on Friday.

Team Ireland have been in Kolobrzeg for over a week training with the host nation, Germany and Hungary.

The squad had their final test match against Hungary on Sunday.

Frankie Cleary will captain Team Ireland at the 25th edition of the tournament.

Irish Squad

49kg Stephen McKenna (Old School)
52kg Willie Donoghue (St Michael’s Athy)
56kg Frankie Cleary (Olympic) cpt
60kg James McGivern (St Georges)
64kg Adam Kelly (Ballynacargy)
69kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)
75kg John Joyce (St Michael’s Athy)
81kg Cormac Long (Rathkeale)

Team Manager: Brian Wallace
Coaches: John Conlan, Dmitry Dmitruk, Michael Mongan
R&J: Sadie Duffy

Andy Lee won two Elite belts in 2003 for the St Francis BC

Some of Ireland’s top boxers will get the opportunity to emulate Olympic silver medallist Ken Egan and current WBO champion Andy Lee, Paul Hyland, Andrew Murray, Paul McCloskey and Alan Reynolds at the upcoming Elite Championships.

All six won two Elite titles each in the same twelve months twelve years ago.

Click here and here for the 2003 Elite Championships and here for the 2015 Elite Championships.

The IABA are running the Elite Championships twice this year to facilitate Ireland’s boxers heading into the Olympic qualifiers in 2016.

There is a precedent for holding the Championships twice in the same calendar year, as the IABA ran the National Elite Championships twice in 2003 in the lead up to the Olympics qualifiers, with Andy Lee booking a ticket for Athens 2004 after winning bronze at the 2004 Europeans Elites in Pula, Croatia.

Meanwhile, the 2nd edition of the Elite Championships begin on Friday evening with the Quick Park women’s semi-finals and men’s preliminaries.

Clare’s Kayleigh Murrihy-McCormack and Tipperary’s Shauna O’Keeffe clash in a Munster derby. The winner will meet Olympic champion Katie Taylor in the lightweight final on November 27.

National Elite Championships

Women

November 20th

S/Finals (7.30pm)
48kg Donna Barr (Twin Towns) V Alexandra Kornaga (Carrickmacross)
54kg Elaine Harrison (Ardnaree) V Jade Corcoran (Crumlin)
60kg Kayleigh Murrihy- McCormack (Kilfenora) V Shauna O’Keefe (Clonmel)
64kg Shanice Just (Arklow) V Cheyanne O’Neill (Athlone)
69kg Tina Donnelly (Corinthians) V Grainne Walsh (Sparticus)

November 27th

Finals (7.30pm)
48kg Lauren Hogan (St Brigids Edenderry) V Winner
51kg Michaela Walsh (Holy Family GG) V Ceire Smith (Cavan)
54kg Dervla Duffy (St Brigids Kildare) V Winner
57kg Joanne Lambe (Carrickmacross) V Moira McElligott)
60kg Katie Taylor (Bray) V Winner
64kg Kelly Harrington (Glasnevin) V Winner
69kg Clare Grace (Callan) V Winner
75kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans) W/O
81+kg Diana Cambell (Garda) V Maeve McCarron (Carrigart)

Claire Grace and Katie Taylor will compete at the National Elites

Olympic champion Katie Taylor is set to have her first competitive outing since claiming gold at the inaugural European Games in Baku last June at the National Stadium in Dublin this month.

The five-time AIBA World Elite gold medallist has received a bye into the lightweight final at the Quick Park National Elite Female Championships and will meet either Clare’s Kayleigh Murrihy-McCormack or Tipperary’s Shauna O’Keeffe in the 60kg decider on November 27.

The Munster duo, both current and former Intermediate champions who have ten underage Irish belts between them, are slated to  clash over four, two minute rounds on Friday, with the winner advancing to meet Taylor on November 27.

Taylor, who has won four Irish Elite belts on walkovers, is relishing the opportunity to box for an Irish belt for the first time.

“It’s well needed and I need to stay busy and get a few fights,” the Bray woman told the Irish Examiner.

“I always expect girls to enter and I’ve trained for a fight and trained for the last few months. The two girls weighing in are well up for a fight and it’s something that they’ve trained for all year.”

The women’s semi-finals and men’s preliminaries will be decided on Friday evening at the National Stadium.

Irish women’s boxing is proudly sponsored by Quick Park of Dublin Airport.

National Elite Championships

Women

November 20th

S/Finals (7.30pm)
48kg Donna Barr (Twin Towns) V Alexandra Kornaga (Carrickmacross)
54kg Elaine Harrison (Ardnaree) V Jade Corcoran (Crumlin)
60kg Kayleigh Murrihy- McCormack (Kilfenora) V Shauna O’Keefe (Clonmel)
64kg Shanice Just (Arklow) V Cheyanne O’Neill (Athlone)
69kg Tina Donnelly (Corinthians) V Grainne Walsh (Sparticus)

November 27th

Finals (7.30pm)
48kg Lauren Hogan (St Brigids Edenderry) V Winner
51kg Michaela Walsh (Holy Family GG) V Ceire Smith (Cavan)
54kg Dervla Duffy (St Brigids Kildare) V Winner
57kg Joanne Lambe (Carrickmacross) V Moira McElligott)
60kg Katie Taylor (Bray) V Winner
64kg Kelly Harrington (Glasnevin) V Winner
69kg Clare Grace (Callan) V Winner
75kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans) W/O
81+kg Diana Cambell (Garda) V Maeve McCarron (Carrigart)