As National Secretary, I want to wish all the women in clubs throughout the association a happy International Women’s Day. 

The IABA was formed in 1911, just over a year and half ago, I made boxing history outside the ring by becoming the first woman to be elected as National Secretary onto the Officer Board.  In 2017, I earned the 2 Star International Coaching badge from the IBA and still currently the only woman in Ireland to hold this level.  This, I hope, will be something that will change soon. 

My journey started with coaching the underage kids in my local boxing club. Over 20 years involved in our sport and the changes I have witnessed has been enormous.  Back then, never could I have imagined that we as a sport would have women in leadership roles throughout the country in boxing. 

From Administrators, Coaching, Referee/Judges, Boxers, we as a sporting body have women representing boxing at all levels. This includes the Central Council with two female elected members, Mrs. Linda Morgan and Mrs. Anna Moore. Ms. Fiona Hennigan sits on the Board of Directors and a woman, Ms Tricia Heberle, now leads our High Performance Unit and Elite Teams to success.

Irish boxing has grown from strength to strength over the years and this is because of the contribution that we, as women in boxing, have brought to the sport.  Our sport is stronger because of you and I am very proud to play a small part in its success. 

So, to all the women in clubs across this great island of ours, Happy International Women’s Day and thank you for your hard work in promoting the sport we love, the sport of boxing. 

Women in Sport Week Events.

IABA’s Women in Sport Lead, Sophie Doolan, has developed a series of events in line with Sport Ireland’s WIS week pillars, including:

March 4th: High Performance – profiling some of the key women in High Performance Boxing

March 5th: Visibility – IABA will launch Phase Two of the Ringcraft programme on Tuesday.

March 6th – IABA will replatfom to clubs the keynote advice development by the Women in Leadership Group in 2022 to assist clubs in supporting women and girls in our sport.

March 7th – Coaching & Officiating. IABA has asked clubs to contribute to the highlighting of women coaches and officials in their club.

March 8th – International Women’s Day

*IABA’s National Secretary will share a keynote message with women of Irish Boxing

*IABA’s brand new Youth Leadership programme will open to expressions of interest from young women

*IABA Ulster will host a Try It! day for primary and secondary school students in Belfast.

Images: Tara Robins Mari

It wasn’t on the cards today at the 1st Olympic World Qualifier, Tokyo bronze medalist, Aidan Walsh. Aidan, in his opening bout, recorded a first-round stoppage win over United Arab Emirates boxer Husain Alkandari.

Today, he took on Brazil’s Wanderson de Oliveira. The Brazilian is also a Tokyo Olympian and contested the Games at light welterweight. He existed at the Quarter Final stage to eventual champion, Andy Cruz.

This was a testy bout from the first bell; both boxers were warned for not boxing, low heads and stepping back. de Oliveira won the first round, 4-1, but the second went to Walsh, 3-2 – however, he was twice deducted points in the second round for holding. The bout went to de Oliveira.

602 boxers from 113 countries have registered to contest the tournament – making it the third largest boxing tournament in history. As a result, the beginning of boxing has been brought forward by a day, to March 3rd. Three sessions of boxing will take place March 4th to 8th to accommodate the volume of competition required.

49 quota places are available. In all weights Ireland is contesting at the tournament, a last four finish will qualify for Paris. The Paris Boxing Taskforce, which is running the competition on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, has advised that boxers will box to quota – which means boxers will cease competing at the Quarter Finals stage where last 4 qualify.

Day Six – March 8th

Friday is a bumper day for Ireland, with four boxers in Round of 32 action.

66kg Grainne Walsh, who got a bye from the Round of 64, is first up on Friday, and makes her tournament debut. She meets Germany’s Stefanie Von Berge in Bout 5 in Ring B, at around 11am, Irish time. Von Berge contested the European Games in Nowy Targ and most recently contested the European U22 Championships to quarter finals.

80kg Kelyn Cassidy is also between the ropes in the morning session, for his second bout of the tournament. He meets Guatamala’s Wyatt Trujillo Ring A’s Bout 9, at approximately 11.45am, Irish time.

Just one Irish boxer in action in the Afternoon Session. 50kg Daina Moorehouse, fresh from Round of 64 victory over a World silver medalist, opens proceedings in Ring B at 2.30pm, against Venezuela’s Tayonis Cedeno.

Jude Gallagher, contesting at 57kg, has a long wait for his bout tomorrow. He is up in the last bout of the evening session, at around 9.30pm. He contests his Round of 32 bout against India’s Uddin Hussam Mohammed.

Programme, March 8th

Session Times

The morning session begins at 10am, Irish time

The afternoon session begins at 2.30pm, Irish time

The evening session may begin at either 6pm or 7pm Irish time, see below.

There is no afternoon session on March 4th.

Tournament Schedule

Watch live

Olympics.com will stream all of the bouts, from March 8th, onward. It will not stream boxing from March 3rd to 7th.

Team

1^st Olympic World Qualifier Team:

50kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry BC, Wicklow

54kg Jennifer Lehane, DCU Boxing Club, Dublin

66kg Grainne Walsh, St. Mary’s BC, Tallaght, Dublin

51kg Sean Mari, Monkstown BC, Dublin

57kg Jude Gallagher, Two Castles ABC, Tyrone

71kg Aidan Walsh, Holy Family GG BC, Belfast

80kg Kelyn Cassidy, Saviours Crystal, Waterford

92+kg Martin McDonagh, Crumlin BC, Dublin

Results

All drawsheets are available here

March 3rd results are here

Session 9A results

Session 9B results

Session 10A results

Session 10B results

Session 11A results

Session 11B results were not available at the time of writing, 10:28pm.

IABA’s Women in Sport Lead, Sophie Doolan, continuing Women in Sport Week in Boxing by celebrating women in coaching and officiating roles.

Women’s boxing in Ireland is 23 years old this year – the first women’s competitive bout took place on Hallowe’en night, 2001, between Katie Taylor and Alanna Nihell. It was officiated by Illes Golden Glove BC’s Sadie Duffy.

IABA is now home to over 400 women coaches, including coaches qualified at IBA 1 Star and 2 Star levels, as well as scores of women Referees and Judges. Around 35% of all club administrators are women.

IABA asked clubs to platform the women coaches and officials in their clubs as part of this celebration, and IABA has also platformed past participants in Women in Leadership programmes.

Women in Sport Week Events.

IABA’s Women in Sport Lead, Sophie Doolan, has developed a series of events in line with Sport Ireland’s WIS week pillars, including:

March 4th: High Performance – profiling some of the key women in High Performance Boxing

March 5th: Visibility – IABA will launch Phase Two of the Ringcraft programme on Tuesday.

March 6th – IABA will replatfom to clubs the keynote advice development by the Women in Leadership Group in 2022 to assist clubs in supporting women and girls in our sport.

March 7th – Coaching & Officiating. IABA has asked clubs to contribute to the highlighting of women coaches and officials in their club.

March 8th – International Women’s Day

*IABA’s National Secretary will share a keynote message with women of Irish Boxing

*IABA’s brand new Youth Leadership programme will open to expressions of interest from young women

*IABA Ulster will host a Try It! day for primary and secondary school students in Belfast.

Images: Tara Robins Mari

Superheavy, Martin McDonagh, has won through to the Round of 16 at the 1st Olympic World Qualifier.

He contested against Turkey’s Yusuf Acik, in a bout which saw him win every round, but in which a point was deducated from both boxers in the second.

Martin will contest his next bout against Belarussian born Bahrain boxer, and Olympian, Danis Latypov. He is between the ropes again in Saturday’s Afternoon Session.

Martin, after his bout speaking to Irish News, said “If it was all about experience, I’d be gone in the first round. I have to focus on myself, the coaches come up with a game-plan. Look, all these guys have more experience than I have, but it’s just… talent. It shouldn’t be possible for me to boxing at this standard for the amount of fights I have – I’m just thankful. This is the place where dreams can come to reality – if you dream big enough and you push yourself every step of the way, you’re going to get to where your dream is.”

602 boxers from 113 countries have registered to contest the tournament – making it the third largest boxing tournament in history. As a result, the beginning of boxing has been brought forward by a day, to March 3rd. Three sessions of boxing will take place March 4th to 8th to accommodate the volume of competition required.

49 quota places are available. In all weights Ireland is contesting at the tournament, a last four finish will qualify for Paris. The Paris Boxing Taskforce, which is running the competition on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, has advised that boxers will box to quota – which means boxers will cease competing at the Quarter Finals stage where last 4 qualify.

Day Five – March 7th

One Ireland boxer is in action on March 7th, Tokyo bronze medalist, Aidan Walsh. Aidan, in his opening bout, recorded a first round stoppage win over United Arab Emirates boxer Husain Alkandari. Tomorrow, he takes on ill take on Brazil’s Wanderson de Oliveira. The Brazilian is also a Tokyo Olympian and contested the Games at light welterweight. He existed at the Quarter Final stage to eventual champion, Andy Cruz

That bout, Bout 11 in Ring A, will take place at around 1pm, Irish time.

Programme, March 7th

Session Times

The morning session begins at 10am, Irish time

The afternoon session begins at 2.30pm, Irish time

The evening session may begin at either 6pm or 7pm Irish time, see below.

There is no afternoon session on March 4th.

Tournament Schedule

Watch live

Olympics.com will stream all of the bouts, from March 8th, onward. It will not stream boxing from March 3rd to 7th.

Team

1^st Olympic World Qualifier Team:

50kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry BC, Wicklow

54kg Jennifer Lehane, DCU Boxing Club, Dublin

66kg Grainne Walsh, St. Mary’s BC, Tallaght, Dublin

51kg Sean Mari, Monkstown BC, Dublin

57kg Jude Gallagher, Two Castles ABC, Tyrone

71kg Aidan Walsh, Holy Family GG BC, Belfast

80kg Kelyn Cassidy, Saviours Crystal, Waterford

92+kg Martin McDonagh, Crumlin BC, Dublin

Results

All drawsheets are available here

March 3rd results are here

Session 9A results

Session 9B results

Session 10A results

Session 10B results

Session 11A results

Session 11B results were not available at the time of writing, 10:28pm.

As part of Women in Sport Week, and marking today’s Leadership theme, IABA is re-platforming Irish Boxing’s Sport Ireland Women in Sport Leadership programme graduates who, in 2022, gathered some information that clubs may find helpful in supporting women and girls in boxing. This may be particularly useful to clubs whose female membership is growing.

The document includes information on:

• Willingness
• Participation
• Progression
• Coaching
• Menstruation
• Visibility
• Voice
• Club champion

The document also includes information on the significant way in which women contribute to Irish boxing – in terms of coaching, sport administration, competition and committee roles. It was developed by Anna Moore, Jenny O’Sullivan Coffey, Mags Cross, Anita Juste, Aideen Floyd, Emma Roche, Tara Robins Mari and Kat Clarke.

Women in Sport Week Events.

IABA’s Women in Sport Lead, Sophie Doolan, has developed a series of events in line with Sport Ireland’s WIS week pillars, including:

March 4th: High Performance – profiling some of the key women in High Performance Boxing

March 5th: Visibility – IABA will launch Phase Two of the Ringcraft programme on Tuesday.

March 6th – IABA will replatfom to clubs the keynote advice development by the Women in Leadership Group in 2022 to assist clubs in supporting women and girls in our sport.

March 7th – Coaching & Officiating. IABA has asked clubs to contribute to the highlighting of women coaches and officials in their club.

March 8th – International Women’s Day

*IABA’s National Secretary will share a keynote message with women of Irish Boxing

*IABA’s brand new Youth Leadership programme will open to expressions of interest from young women

*IABA Ulster will host a Try It! day for primary and secondary school students in Belfast.