Please see below attachment for deatils of upcoming Boy 1, 2 & 3 Championships at Dublin’s National Stadium.
Weigh-ins will be held at provincial venues.
HEADGUARDS TO GO AT RIO 2016 (FOR MEN)
Michael Conlan (blue)
HEADGUARDS (FOR MEN) TO GO AT RIO 2016
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) today confirmed that men will not wear headguards at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Part of today’s AIBA statement read: “In the light of AIBA’s exhaustive medical research following the decision to remove headguards for men at the 2013 World Championships, the International Olympic Committee Executive Board has agreed to the removal of headguards in the men’s competition for Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”
“We are profoundly pleased that there will be no headguard for male boxers in Rio, added Dr. CK Wu, President of AIBA.
“It is something that has been expected by our boxers and by the boxing fans the world over. Since our very first conversations with athletes and medical staff on the issue we have been investigating the possibility of removing headguards and both our statistical research, and the feedback from boxers and coaches, shows us that this is the best outcome for our sport. It is undoubtedly a great achievement for AIBA to present our boxers without headguards at the next Olympic Games, the most important sporting event“ added AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.
Rio 2016 will now mark the first time that the Olympics will be headguard-free (for men) in 32 years.
Picture – Irish R&J Michael Gallagher gives a boxer some “heads up” advice
GEE BEE SQUAD NAMED
AIBA World No. 3 ranked middleweight Michael O’Reilly has been included in a six-strong Irish squad for the Gee Bee multi-nations in Finland.
The 35th edition of the tournament begins on March 10th in Helsinki and will be Ireland’s final competitive outing before April’s European Olympic qualifiers in Samsun, Turkey.
Current Irish Elite champion Stephen McKenna, Dean Walsh and Darren O’Neill are included in the Gee Bee squad, along with Sean McComb and TJ Waite.
Ireland claimed six medals at the 2015 Gee Bee, with Brendan Irvine (gold), Adam Nolan (gold), Myles Casey (silver), Connor Coyle (silver), Kurt Walk (bronze) and George Bates (bronze)
finishing in podium positions.
The European Olympic qualifiers begin in Samsun on April 7th. The top three in each of the ten male weights – the finalists and winners of box-offs between the beaten semi-finalists – qualify for Rio 2016.
The two two (finalists) in the three women’s Olympics weights – flyweight, lightweight and middleweight – qualify for the 31st Olympiad.
Team Ireland depart for Finland next Thursday.
Irish squad Gee Bee Multi-Nations Helsinki, Finland March 10/14
49kg Stephen McKenna (Old School)
52kg TJ Waite (Ormeau Road)
60kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
64kg Dean Walsh (St Josephs/St Ibars)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise)
91kg Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)
Coaches: Zuar Antia, Noel Burke
Physio: Ursla Brooks
R&J: Jim Murrin
IRELAND YOUTHS TO MEET RUSSIA IN TEST MATCH TONIGHT
Irish and Russian squads and management in Dungarvan
Team Ireland Youths and Russia conclude their training camp in Dungarvan, Waterford tonight.
Both nations will have a test match at the Dungarvan Sports Centre to bring the curtain down on what coach Billy McClean described as an excellent training camp.
“The Russian team are very pleased with the qualify of training and sparring in Dungarvan and our team can only learn and grow from the experience of training and sparring with the top boxing nation in the world, he said.
“It has been a very well organised and well structured training camp and both nations have got a lot of work done in Dungarvan.”
International Youth boxing is building up toward May’s European Youth Championships in Latvia and the AIBA World Youth Championships in Russia later this year.
Irish squads
Team manager: Gerry O’Mahony
Coaches: Billy McClean, Gerry McDaid, Fergal McKenna, Dmitry Dmitruk
1st squad
49kg Regan Buckley (Bray)
52kg Shane Flavin (Paulstown)
56kg Sean Purcell (Enniskerry)
56kg Aaron McKenna (Old School)
60kg Oliver McCarthy (Brian Dillons)
64kg Jason Harty (Rathkeale)
69kg Paul Ryan (Bay City)
75kg Tommy Hyde (Setanta)
81kg Brian Kennedy (St Marys D)
2nd squad
52kg Eamer Coughlan (Riverstown)
56kg Aaron McKenna (Old School)
56kg James McGivern (St Georges)
60kg Patrick Donovan (OLOL)
64kg Kieran Molloy (Oughterard)
69kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)
75kg Kevin Kehoe (Marble City)
81kg Brian Kennedy (St Mary’s D)
IABA SIGNS UP FOR AIBA HEADSUP!
IABA CEO Fergal Carruth and IABA President Pat Ryan with AIBA Executive Director Karim Bouzidi
Pat Ryan, President of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA), today signed the HeadsUp! charter at the headquarters of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The IABA President is in Lausanne with IABA CEO Fergal Carruth. Headsup! is a global program developed by AIBA to promote the values of boxing and the global AIBA family.
AIBA President, Dr CK WU, a special guest of the IABA at the 2011 European Youths Championships in Dublin, hailed Ireland’s contribution to the sport.
“The IABA operates in one of the world’s leading boxing nations and grassroots promotion of our sport is a crucial part of its success. We hope that the HeadsUp! programme will help develop even more boxing in Ireland and entice the young population to put on the gloves even more,” he said.
Pat Ryan is delighted to endorse the HeadsUp! charter.
He said: “As IABA President, I’m very satisfied to be able to bring our support to the AIBA HeadsUp! programme. We are already active in social activities and grassroots promotion of our sport with projects like The Start Box Initiative, a partnership between the IABA and Dublin City Council representing an ideal way to first engage with boxing through the communities of Dublin. 2,500 young people engage in StartBox each year and this is the very essence of HeadsUp, it’s a natural fit.”