Central Council has confirmed the dates of the first 7 National Championships of 2026.
All below competitions will be boxed at the National Stadium Dublin. Central Council has held February free of competition for boxers BG1-J2 to enable applicable competition in Provincial Units.
2026 National Elite Championships
This competition, for Elite athletes aged 19 to 40 by year of birth in 2026, will take place:
January 9th, 10th and 11th, and January 16th and 17th.
The number of days boxed will be dependent on entries.
2026 National BG4, Junior 1 & Junior 2 Championships
These three championships will be boxed concurrently on the following dates:
March 6th, 7th and 8th, and March 13th, 14th and 15th.
The BG4 Championship is for boxers born in 2011.
The Junior 1 Championship is for boxers born 2010
The Junior 2 Championship is for boxers born 2009
2026 National BG 1, 2 & 3 Championships
These three championships will be boxed concurrently on the following dates:
IABA is saddened by the passing of boxer, 25 year old Paul McCullough Junior.
A member of clubs including St. John Bosco Belfast and his family’s McCullagh’s ABC, Paul won his first title in 2012, and an Ulster Elite heavyweight title in 2019. In the same year Paul represented Ulster High Performance against New York and represented Ireland in a dual nations international against the Netherlands.
Paul turned pro after his 2019 success, and recorded a number of wins. Paul’s grandfather and father were both champion amateur boxers, the latter boxing out of Immaculata BC. Paul’s grandfather was a highly regarded pro and amateur coach and his father is a pro referee.
IABA extends deepest condolences to Paul’s family, club and loved ones.
As 2025 draws to a close, I and Central Council would like to take this opportunity to reflect on an extraordinary year for Irish Boxing.
In April, Irish Boxing said a resounding Yes to constitutional reform, and to joining World Boxing – paving the way for LA 2028, while in October, member clubs voted to disaffiliate from the IBA. IABA boxers began contesting World Boxing events in September, competing at 5 benchmark competitions to date.
Our boxers have excelled on the World and European stage, thanks to the high standard and unrivalled commitment of club coaches in partnership with High Performance coaching via Central Council’s Coaching Commission and the National High Performance Unit. I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate every boxer who represented Ireland this year, their clubs and families while commending the boxers that won, between them, 42 benchmark medals from European U15 to World Gold for Castlerea BC’s Aoife O’Rourke.
Contributing to these achievements were the return of Internationals at underage and Elite level. Internationals are an important development opportunity for boxers, and we were delighted to welcome India, France, Austria, England and Hungary throughout the year to take part in dual nations and an U23 Round Robin. These events also enabled us to bring high quality international boxing to Derry, Belfast, Louth as well as Dublin, important showcases for our sport and our boxers. Central Council was also a position to broker international training camps for our European U19 and European U17 teams in “The Lion’s Den”, the GB Boxing Olympic Training Centre in Sheffield. This high-level preparation for both teams set them up for success and gave them valuable experience of life as High Performance athletes.
At National level, a staggering 15 competitions and national championships have taken place in 2025. The sheer number and operational quality of these tournaments is testament to the work of the Championship Committee, the R&J Committee and every competition official who gives of their time, including Stadium staff, to ensure these competitions can take place. Central Council also included an unprecedented 9 domestic Box Cups in the national calendar, to afford clubs as many competition and development opportunities for their boxers as possible. Central Council has previously shared the national calendar up to April, and will share the calendar for the remainder of 2026 as soon as is feasible.
Irish Boxing has had a highly positive year, including the appointment of CEO Gary Stewart, High Performance Director Jon Mackey and COO Clare McAuley, in tandem with the formation of Central Council’s vital operations committees and productive working relationships with clubs, county boards and provincial units. This high-level collaboration is vital for the development of our sport. There are exciting times ahead in 2026, including the resumption of the Four Nations tournament in June in Scotland, World Boxing Cups, the Commonwealth Games, the Youth Olympics and the culmination of IABA’s re-band project which began last September.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank and recognize, the thousands of people who give of their own time week-in, week-out to coach and lead clubs throughout the Association. You are the lifeblood of our sport and our community. Every day, you are changing lives and improving the futures of thousands of young people. Without you, without your time, knowledge and expertise, there is no IABA – and
on behalf of Central Council, I would like to wish you, your club and your family a happy & healthy New Year.
Tickets for the 2026 National Elite Championships and annual passes for 2026 are now available for purchase online, here
Annual passes will entitle the holder to attend every single day of national championship boxing in the National Stadium, including all Internationals that may take place there in 2026. For the first time, family passes, children’s passes, OAP passes and passes for those in full time training and education are now available. All annual passes include attendance at the 2026 Elite Championships & finals if purchased in advance of the championships.
Tickets for the Elite Championships include a club ticket for the finals admitting 2 adults and 8 children. All tickets are general admission, and are priced to enable as many people as possible to attend this showcase of the best Elite boxers in the Association. While Elite Championships tickets are available for purchase online, cash will continue to be accepted on the door.
2026 Annual Passes
Annual passes, available for all national level boxing events at the National Stadium, Dublin and any Internationals that make take place there are available for:
Adults: €175.00
OAPs: €100.00
People aged 18-23 in full time education or training: €100.00
Children under 18: €100.00
Families of 2 adults & 2 children: €400.00
All seating is general admission.
2026 National Elite Championships
Tickets are available for individual days of boxing throughout these championships, and passes for the entire competition encompassing all days of boxing. All seating is general admission, and tickets are available for:
Adults: full competition €80/one day €25
OAPs: full competition €40/one day €10
People aged 18-23 in full time education or training: full competition €40/one day €10
Children under 18: full competition €40/one day €10
Club ticket for 2 adults and 10 children: finals, only €100
Team Ireland’s European U23 Team has been shortlisted for the HerSport Awards Team of the Year accolade.
The Team brought home 6 medals from the European Championships in Budapest in November: silver for 57kg Natalia Fasciszewska, following a thrilling final against Paris Olympics silver medalist, Poland’s Julia Szeremeta.
5 of her team mates were bestowed with bronze medals: 48kg Tiffany Spencer (Jobstown BC, Dublin), 60kg Rebecca Kavanagh (Mulhuddart BC, Dublin), 65kg Ava Henry (Dublin Docklands), 80+kg Cliona D’Arcy (Tobar Pheadair BC in Galway) and 50kg Louis Rooney (Star BC, Belfast), while half of the 16 strong team lost to the eventual champions.
8 members of the team lost to the eventual champion and they are: 48kg Tiffany Spencer, 54kg Robyn Kelly, 57kg Natalia Fasciszewska, 60kg Rebecca Kavanagh, 65kg Ava Henry, 50kg Louis Rooney, 60kg Gavin Ryan and 65kg Roy Colgan
The Team is nominated alongside Athlone Town; Dublin LGFA; Galway Camogie; Ireland Deaf Women’s Futsal Team; Ireland Hockey; Ireland Eventing & Show Jumping; Ireland Mixed Double Sculls; Ireland Para Triathlon Team; Ireland Rugby 15’s and Ireland Soccer
Also nominated for the HerSport Athlete of the Year Award is World Champion, Aoife O’Rourke. Aoife’s outstanding achievements in 2025 are unprecedented and may well be unrepeatable: She won World silver in March at the IBA Women’s World Championships, and 6 months later almost to the day, World gold at the World Boxing Championships. Boxing’s changing standing global governance landscape means this feat may not be replicable by any other Irish boxer, ever. On her journey in to the annals of Irish boxing lore in Liverpool, Aoife defeated Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad, the only boxer in the world this year to have won gold at every World Boxing Cup. Aoife is nominated along side Clare Melia (Basketball), Ellen Walsh (Swimming), Fiona Murtagh (Rowing), Hannah Tyrell (Football), Kate O’Connor (Heptathlon), Katie McCabe (Soccer), Lara Gillespie (Cycling), Orla Comerford (Para Athletics), Sarah Healy (Athletics)
Vote
You can vote for Team Ireland European U23 Team and Aoife here: https://awards.hersport.ie/. The winner will be announced at a gala event on January 23rd.
