Consultation on the development of an IABA Strategic Plan for the period 2024 to 2028 continues. On completion, the plan will guide all forms of growth and development throughout the boxing community over the course of the next four years.
A final Strategic Forum, open to all club members, will take place on Tuesday, February 13th at 7.30pm. This forum follows 6 consultations over the last three months:
October 25th to November 8th: online strategic consultation
November 11th: 1st Strategic Forum, the National Stadium
December 12th: Connacht Strategic Forum
January 16th: Dublin Strategic Forum
January 27th: Leinster Strategic Forum
February 5th: Ulster Strategic Forum
All forums have been facilitated by Maeve Buckley, Founder and Executive Director of Leading Sport, and include a member-driven analysis of the IABA’s strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. These aspirations for the development of the IABA will be the backbone of the strategic plan.
The access credentials for the meeting on February 13th are:
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association is pleased to announce the appointments of Lynne McEnery and James Doyle as High Performance Development Coaches.
The creation of these roles in the High Performance Unit is a direct result of targeted Sport Ireland investment in, and support of, Boxing HP development
Lynne, of St. Paul’s BC, Waterford, was appointed to the High Performance Paris Pool Coach programme in 2023. The Paris Pool Coach Programme is also the result of Sport Ireland investment and support. Lynne is a former club coach and competitive boxer. She has significant experience in High Performance coaching at international level with Elite, Youth and Schools age groups. On taking up her appointment, Lynne becomes the first woman staff coach in the HPU.
James, of Monkstown Boxing Club, Dublin, has been a High Performance Pool Coach for three years, and transitioned to the Paris Pool Coach Programme in July of 2023. James, aside from his 18 years’ experience as a club coach, has also contributed significantly to High Performance coaching of Youth and Junior international athletes.
During their tenure in the Paris Pool Coach Programme, Lynne and James have participated in the Daily Training Environment, in 2 multi-nations camps, involving Ukraine, Spain, Turkey and France, and have coached at international events and competitions. This is in addition to their availing of learning opportunities provided by Sport Ireland Sport Science practitioners in the areas of physiology, performance analysis, nutrition, sports psychology, physiotherapy and S&C.
High Performance Director, Tricia Heberle, says “These appointments, on 2 year-contracts, demonstrate the education, training, culture and skill-building driven progression pathway for club coaches to High Performance within the HP Paris Pool Coach Programme. Furthermore, these roles create better potential for the HPU coaches to positively impact all areas of the pathway and in particular the U22 age group . I am delighted to welcome Lynne and James to High Performance, and I look forward to the positive impact they will have on the future development of Irish Boxing”.
Aoife O’Rourke has claimed a keynote title on her Road to Paris, by winning the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament middleweight gold.
261 boxers from 28 federations contested the tournament, hosted in Sofia by the Bulgarian Boxing Federation. Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, France, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tukey, Turkey and Uzbekistan all fielded teams.
The middleweight, of Castlerea BC, Aoife meet Thailand’s Baison Manikon in bout 4 of Ring A’s Afternoon session. A Tokyo Olympian at welterweight, the southpaw is the reigning Asian U22 champion. Most recently Manikon contested the Asian Games against eventual winner, Lovlina Boroghain, whom Aoife bested at the Quarter Final stage of this tournament.
Aoife’s power, stamina and experience saw her through the bout, in which Manikon gave a good account of herself. None of the rounds was awarded by all judges to either boxer. The final score was 3-2, to the Tokoyo and Paris Olympian.
Aoife was, after the women’s finals were completed, named 1st runner up Best Female Boxer – Bulgaria was in first place and China in third.
Heavyweight, Jack Marley, was today bestowed with his bronze medal, following his semi final against Greece’s Vagkan Nanitzanian. He’s pictured here with Head Coach Zauri Antia.
Team
50kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s BC, Mayo*
54kg Niamh Fay, Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC, Dublin
Tokyo Olympian and Paris-qualified boxer, 75kg Aoife O’Rourke, has won through to the finals of the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament, after an epic battle.
Aoife boxed Qian Li of China in Bout 6 of Ring B’s Afternoon Session. Qian Li is the reigning Asian Games middleweight champion, and a Tokyo silver medalist and Rio bronze medalist at the weight, and has won World 75kg gold, silver and bronze since 2014. Aoife put in a high tempo, high power display and dug deep in all three rounds, claiming her place in the final by virtue of a 5-0 victory. Judges scored the bout 28:29; 27:30; 28:29; 28:29; 28:29.
Paris-qualified heavyweight, Jack Marley, after besting Uzbekistan’s Madiyar Saydrakhimov in his quarter final, took on Greece’s Vagkan Nanitzanian in Bout 6 of Ring A’s evening session. These boxers last met in the European Games Round of 16, when Jack came away with a 4-1 win, eventually leading to his qualification for Paris 2024. This was a testy and robust semi-final, with both boxers going toe-to-toe. In the first 30 seconds of the 3rd round, Nanitzanian caught the Team Ireland boxer with a left hook just over the ear. This resulted in the referee ending the bout by KO.
Finals
Aoife will meet Thailand’s Baison Manikon in bout 4 of Ring A’s Afternoon session. A Tokyo Olympian at welterweight, the southpaw is the reigning Asian U22 champion. Most recently, she contested the Asian Games against eventual winner, Lovlina Boroghain, whom Aoife bested at the Quarter Final stage of this tournament.
261 boxers from 28 federations are contesting the tournament, hosted in Sofia by the Bulgarian Boxing Federation. Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, France, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tukey, Turkey and Uzbekistan have all fielded teams.
Watch
The Bulgarian Boxing Federation is streaming the tournament on its YouTube Channel – links, per ring and session, become available on the day of boxing. The afternoon session begins at 12pm, Irish time, and the evening session at 2.30pm, Irish time.
Today was a special day in Sofia for another reason – superheavy, Martin McDonagh, contesting his first tournament of Strandja’s standard, turned 21:
Team
50kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s BC, Mayo*
54kg Niamh Fay, Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC, Dublin
Team Ireland 71kg Eugene McKeever put in a brave and skillful performance in his 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament quarter final today and does not progress on the narrowest of margins.
Eugene met India’s Akash Akash in the opening bout of Ring B’s evening session, and the two battled throughout 3 rounds to a 3-2 split; the decision going in favour of the Indian boxer. Judges scored the bout 28:29; 30:27; 27:30; 28:29; 29:28;
261 boxers from 28 federations will contest the tournament, hosted in Sofia by the Bulgarian Boxing Federation. Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, France, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tukey, Turkey and Uzbekistan have all fielded teams.
Semi Finals
Two Paris-qualified Team Ireland boxers will contest Saturday’s semi finals – 75kg Aoife O’Rourke and 92kg Jack Marley.
Aoife boxes Qian Li of China in Bout 6 of Ring B’s Afternoon Session. Qian Li is the reigning Asian Games middleweight champion, and a Tokyo silver medalist and Rio bronze medalist at the weight, and has won World 75kg gold, silver and bronze since 2014.
Jack takes on Greece’s Vagkan Nanitzanian in Bout 6 of Ring A’s evening session. These boxers last met in the European Games Round of 16, when Jack came away with a 4-1 win, eventually leading to his qualification for Paris 2024.
The Bulgarian Boxing Federation is streaming the tournament on its YouTube Channel – links, per ring and session, become available on the day of boxing. The afternoon session begins at 12pm, Irish time, and the evening session at 2.30pm, Irish time.
Team
50kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s BC, Mayo*
54kg Niamh Fay, Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC, Dublin
