Irish squad in Ukraine in June
Three-time European Elite champion Joe Ward will be the highest ranked Irish boxer at the World Elite Championships which begin Friday in Hamburg, Germany.
The Moate BC southpaw is at No. 3 in the light-heavy class in the newly updated World rankings and will be seeded in Hamburg.
Ward’s fellow Rio Olympian Brendan Irvine is the second highest Irish ranked boxer at No. 10 in the flyweight class and Kurt Walker is included at 26 at bantam.
Walker should actually be ranked No. 25 as, almost ironically, Michael Conlan has turned pro – but is still included in the 56kg pecking order.
Sean McComb is No. 28 at light-welter. Russia’s current World champion Vitaly Dunaystev, who McComb beat twice this year, is No. 2. Dean Gardner is ranked No. 47 at super-heavy.
Gardiner, Ward, McComb, Walker and Irvine qualified for Hamburg from the European Championships in the Ukraine in June. Click on above names for rankings.
The five-strong Irish team leave for Germany tomorrow, August 22nd.
There is no ranking tournament for women this year.The recent European Union Elite Women’s Championships was not a ranking tournament.
The four AIBA ranking tournaments for men and women are the Olympics, World Championships, Confederation Championships (European Championships etc) and Continental Multi Sports Events (European Games etc).
Click here for AOB Ranking Rules – Appendix B (24)