Elite Cups
Two precedents exist for running the Liffey Crane National Elites for the second time in the same year and a select group of boxers have the distinction of doing the double.
Irish boxing is proudly sponsored by Liffey Crane Hire.
The 2nd edition of the 2019 National Elites begins at the National Stadium tomorrow night in the countdown to the European qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 at the Copperbox Arena in London next March and the final world qualifier in Paris next May.
Likewise with the 2003 and 2015 Elites ahead of the qualifiers for Athens 2004 and Rio 2016.
Paul Hyland, Andrew Murray, Paul McCloskey, Ken Egan, Andy Lee and Alan Reynolds claimed belts in February 2003 and retained their titles in December of the same year.
Over a decade later, Brendan Irvine, Kurt Walker, Dean Walsh, Lauren Hogan, Kellie Harrington, Michaela Walsh, Clare Grace, Diana Campbell, Adam Nolan, Dervla Duffy, Michael O’Reilly, Darren O’Neill and Dean Gardiner secured 13 of the gold medals on offer in January 2015.
and had their hands raised in victory for a second time in November/December 2015.
O’Keeffe & Taylor,2015 final
Olympic champion Katie Taylor didn’t enter the flagship tournament of Irish boxing in January 2015 because of injury, but she met and beat Tipperary’s Shauna O’Keeffe (Clonmel BC) in November of that year in a cracking lightweight final.
The meeting with O’Keeffe marked the first and only time the current two-weight pro titlist – she received walkovers up to that point – boxed for an Irish title at the Stadium.
Meanwhile, current European Elite and European U/22 champions Aoife O’Rourke and Amy Broadhurst won Elite belts in February this year and will secure their second titles of 2019 on walkovers.
(Champions from February 2019 who have entered to 2nd edition of the 2019 Elites highlighted)