The Donegal County Boxing team, in conjunction with the Donegal County Council, travel to Boston for a major tournament at the T.N.T Corebox Arena on the Randolph Road on Thursday, July 27 next.
The Donegal punchers will face top athletes from the Boston Boxing Academy under the guidance of former Donegal boxer Mark Porter, a Buncrana native who has been residing in Boston for 30 years.
Fourteen Donegal boxers representing seven clubs will take part in the tournament.
Dunfanaghy BC pair Oisin Wallace and Odhran McGingley, Matthew Carlin and Josh McDonagh (Dunree BC), Pearse McBride and Bryan McNamee (Convoy BC), Adam McDaid and Daniel Campbell (St Bridget’s BC), Andrew Cunningham and Dean Doherty (Cardonagh BC), Patrick McShane and Cillian Boyce (Letterkenny BC) and Aaron McDaid and Liam McMonagle (Raphoe BC) will be between the ropes in New England.
The team manager for the trip is former Elite middleweight champion Paddy Doherty (St John Bosco BC) and the R&J is the popular James McCarron (Carrigart BC).
The coaches are Dominic McCafferty (Convoy BC), Gerard Keaveny (Raphoe BC), Eddie Harkin (Dunfanaghy BC), Johnny Mulhern (Cardonagh BC) and Rory McShane (Letterkenny BC).
The President of the Donegal County Board, Peter O’Donnell, will also travel for the six-day stay in the USA.
The Boston officials have organised many functions for the visitors including a reception with the Mayor of Boston, Martin J. Walsh whose ancestors hail from Connemara in Galway.
Peter O’Donnell is delighted to once again travel to the USA with a County squad.
“This is what boxing is all about as it is every young boxer’s dream to represent their County in far off America and for these young boxers there is no better form of education than travel, he said.
“We will continue to foster and support our sport as we develop young boys and girls into healthy, positive members of society through the sport of amateur boxing.
“Our sincere thanks to the Donegal County Council for their generous input into this trip of a lifetime for all these young boxers.”
(Copy courtesy of Peter O’Donnell)