Team Ireland superheavy, Judy Bobbet, put in a massive performance in her debut on the world stage. In so doing, Judy has joined a select group of Irish athletes on entering the field of play. She’s become one of the few to contest for Ireland at the highest level in two sports – given that Judy is a former Irish rugby international, with test match and Six Nations caps.
25 year old Judy boxed her first benchmark bout against 37 year old five time world medalist and double European champion, Turkey’s Elif Guneri. Judy showed power, courage and skill, but Guneri’s experience won out. Judges scored the bout 30:27; 30:27; 29:28; 29:28; 30:27
Of the Team Ireland boxers yet to being their campaigns: 50kg Daina Moorehouse has a bye, and begins her tournament in the Last 16, against China’s 8th seeded Hu M. There’s a last 16 start for Olympian, 66kg Grainne Walsh – she’s between the ropes against Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova. Khamidova is a fellow Olympian, the reigning Asian champ and medaled at the 2023 Women’s Worlds. 2022 World Champion, 70kg Lisa O’Rourke starts at the Last 16 stage against Azerbaijan’s Aynur Rzayeva – 2016 European Women’s champ at 81+kg; the 2022 European silver medalist, and a 2023 Women’s World bronze medalist. Lisa’s sister, double Olympian 75kg Aoife O’Rourke, is the top seed in her weight. As such, she has a bye to the quarter finals. She’ll meet the winner of the contest between Bulgaria and Uzbekhistan
239 boxers from 51 federations are contesting the tournament; in 2023, the last iteration of these championships, 324 boxers from 64 federations competed.
March 15th is a rest day at the tournament, and all finals will be boxed on Sunday, March 16th.
Day Two
Three Team Ireland boxers between the ropes on Monday: 48kg Carleigh Irving, the 2024 European U23 silver medalist, opens her tournament at Last 32 stage, against Venezuela’s Tayonis Cendeno Rojas, who has recently dropped down from 50kg. That’s Bout 2 of Ring B’s Afternoon Session.
54kg Paris Olympian, Jenny Lehane, gets underway in the last 32, against Thailand’s Natnicha Chongprongklang, the 2024 Asian champion at the weight. That’s Bout 7 of Ring B’s Afternoon Session.
In Ring B’s Evening Session, double Olympian, Michaela Walsh, faces home opposition in her opening bout in the last 32; she contests against Andjela Brankovic in Bout 8.
Programmes for the second week of boxing in the 2025 National Boy/Girl 4, Junior 1 and Junior 2 Championship have been released.
All programmes are subject to change.
Two rings will be in operation on Saturday: the main auditorium of the National Stadium and, Ringside. From 11am on Saturday, the BG4 semi finals and Junior 1 semi finals will be boxed in the main auditorium of the National Stadium. From 11am on Saturday, the Junior 2 semi finals will be boxed in Ringside.
Weigh-in times: Friday 14th March 8am – 9am & 12pm – 1pm, Boxing begins at 6pm
Weigh-in times: Saturday 15th March 8am – 9am. Boxing begins at 11am. Late weigh-ins are not available on Saturday.
As previously advised by the National Secretary:
Coach registration is required. If you have not already done so, please send the names of coaches attending to secretary@iaba.ie. Registered coaches will be given wristbands to allow them to enter the field of play & changing areas. These can be collected only by the coach at the top table.
Garda Vetting / Access NI Checks will be completed for every coach. If your details are out of date, you will not be permitted to enter the field of play. For more details regarding this please contact IABA National Safeguarding Manager, Stephen Flynn: stephen@iaba.ie
The withdrawal of any boxer must be notified to the National Registrar, Stephen Connolly, phone: 086 1546746.
Entry Fee of €15 is to be paid at the weigh in on the first day of boxing. Boxers must bring their record book.
Boxers will weigh-in only on the day they box. Times: Friday 8am to 9am & 12pm to 1pm / Saturday & Sunday 8am to 9am
Any club making an entry to the championships affirms that the entrant is not a member of any other club, in any jurisdiction.
Any misbehaviour or misuse of social media in a negative manner from members of any club relating to a boxer/coach/official will be referred to the IABA Discipline Officer under the IABA Complaints and Discipline Code, communicated to all clubs on May 17th 2024.
BG4: Friday, March 14th.
Boxing begins at 6pm in the main auditorium of the National Stadium. All programmes are subject to change.
The draws for the 2025 IBA Women’s World Championships have taken place in Nis, Serbia today.
239 boxers from 51 federations will contest the tournament; in 2023, the last iteration of these championships, 324 boxers from 64 federations competed.
48kg Carleigh Irving, the 2024 European U23 silver medalist, opens her tournament at Last 32 stage, against Venezuela’s Tayonis Cendeno Rojas, who has recently dropped down from 50kg. Paris Olympian, 50kg Daina Moorehouse has a bye, and begins her tournament in the Last 16, against China’s 8th seeded Hu M.
54kg Paris Olympian, Jenny Lehane, gets underway in the last 32, against Thailand’s Natnicha Chongprongklang, the 2024 Asian champion at the weight. Double Olympian, Michaela Walsh, faces home opposition in her opening bout in the last 32; she contests against Andjela Brankovic. There’s a last 16 start for Olympian, 66kg Grainne Walsh – she’s between the ropes against Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova. Khamidova is a fellow Olympian, the reigning Asian champ and medaled at the 2023 Women’s Worlds.
2022 World Champion, 70kg Lisa O’Rourke starts at the Last 16 stage against Azerbaijan’s Aynur Rzayeva – 2016 European Women’s champ at 81+kg; the 2022 European silver medalist, and a 2023 Women’s World bronze medalist.
Lisa’s sister, double Olympian 75kg Aoife O’Rourke, is the top seed in her weight. As such, she has a bye to the quarter finals. She’ll meet the winner of the contest between Bulgaria and Uzbekhistan
Preparations for this team have included post-Elites squad training in December, January and February, a home sparring camp with France, and an 11 day sparring camp with China in Beijing.
Boxing begins on the 9th. March 15th is a rest day at the tournament, and all finals will be boxed on Sunday, March 16th.
Just one Team Ireland boxer in action on the opening day of boxing. 81+kg boxer Judy Bobbet opens her championships at Last 16 stage against Turkey’s Elif Guneri. That’s bout 7 in Ring A’s Evening Session, beginning at 5pm Irish time.
Judy joins a select group of Irish athletes when she enters the field of play. She’ll become one of the few to contest for Ireland at the highest level in two sports – given that Judy is a former Irish rugby international, with test match and Six Nations caps.
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has a proud tradition of success, being Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport and Northern Ireland’s most successful Commonwealth Games sport. The Regional Performance Coach will play a role in the Northern Ireland team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow delivering on continued success for the IABA.
The Regional Performance Coach for the Ulster High Performance (UHP) will work closely with the Head Regional Performance Coach (HRPC) within Ulster, assisting with delivery, planning and athlete development.
The Ulster High Performance unit is located at the Ulster University Sport Village, in collaboration with Sport Institute Northern Ireland (SINI). The programme will aim to work with the most talented boxers from Ulster, helping them to develop and transion into the National Programme and competion on the World Stage. The Regional Performance Coach will be key in delivering and supporting athletes to maximise their potential. The role will require a strong technical and tactical knowledge of Boxing, high-level planning and communication skills, proficient computer literacy, a good understanding of athlete development and a proven commitment to the development of High-Performance Boxing.
1. Coach and prepare athletes throughout the performance pathway for a range of competitions throughout the year and participate in training camps as agreed with the Regional Head Performance Coach and Regional Performance Manager.
2. Develop and deliver session plans in collaboration with the Regional Head Performance Coach. Share planning in a timely matter to all coaches involved with the sessions and maintain a record of the sessions conducted.
3. Design, develop, and implement periodised training programs for boxers of all levels within the Ulster High Performance, in consultation with the Head Coach and SINI’s sport science and sports medicine service providers.
4. Embrace both full-time and part-time athletes in the HPU, providing support appropriate to their developmental stages.
5. Contribute to Talent Identification and Athlete Development Pathways.
6. To attend targeted domestic competitions that involve Ulster Athletes as a method of talent identification.
Job Description and Personal Specification
Role Purpose: The Regional Performance Coach will assist with all aspects of the performance programme, supporting the Head Regional Coach and Regional Performance Manager to deliver a worldclass performance pathway, supporting and nurturing talented boxers from Ulster.
Location: Ulster University Sports Village, Jordanstown, BT37 0QB with travel domestic and overseas.
Hours of work: This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with most of that time expected to be on campus in the Jordanstown facility. We are open to considering job-share flexible working patterns, in line with business needs.
Contract: 2 Years Fix Term with the possibility of 2-year extension depending on funding. Six month period of probation will apply.
Salary £32,500- £37,500 Pro-Rata. Band will be dependent on experience
Monitoring and Evaluation
1. Assist in directing, monitoring, and evaluating the impact of training and competition programs and services for athletes within the Ulster HPU.
2. Monitor the progress of individual athletes towards their goals and targets, working in partnership with SINI’s key service providers.
3. Maintain an accurate record of incident reports and injury management.
4. Maintain an accurate record of athlete progress and provide detailed reports on individual athletes as requested by the Performance Lead.
5. Provide monthly progress reports on both competition and training camps, as required.
Leadership and Support
1. Lead activities and initiatives within the program when directed by the Performance
Director, Regional Performance Manager, or Regional Head Performance Coach.
2. Provide coverage for HP coaching colleagues and the Head Coach as necessary.
3. Assist in managing training programs for the various competition streams within the
Ulster High Performance.
4. Work collaboratively with staff members of the IABA, volunteers, club coaches, Sport
Northern Ireland (SNI), and the Sport Institute of Northern Ireland (SINI) on all
aspects of the performance program.
5. Work alongside relevant performance colleagues as part of a multi-disciplinary team
supporting both regional and national teams.
Miscellaneous
1. Attend all necessary IABA meetings as requested by the Regional Head Coach.
2. Engage positively in a personal performance development plan, actively identifying
new areas for learning and committing to a culture of continual improvement
3. Support the development and implementation of the National and Regional High
Performance Strategy.
4. Work cooperatively with IABA and Ulster office staff, primary partners and sponsors
to support marketing and promotional activities and media requirements
5. Any other reasonable duties as required by the Regional Head Coach or Regional
Performance Manager.
Person Specification
Essential Skills and Qualifications
A minimum 1 Star Boxing coaching qualification; a higher grade is desirable.
2 Years previous experience coaching elite high performance boxers.
Previous experience coaching talented Elite, Youth and Junior athletes in an High
Performance boxing setting.
Competent in the use of Microsoft Packages.
An understanding of performance planning and good administrative skills.
Competent English language skills.
Flexibility to work weekends and evenings
Desirable Skills and Qualifications
2 Star or 3 Star coaching qualification.
Previous experience in performance and pathway planning.
Previous experience in a coaching role in an high performance environment.
Application Process
Interested persons are invited to submit the following by email to hr@iaba.ie: *Resume including 2 referees *Cover letter outlining how they meet the essential skills and qualifications by providing examples of how they have previously fulfilled the duties and responsibilities of this type of role Application closing date: 14th March 2024 Anticipated Interview Dates: Week beginning 17th March 2025
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post holder is required to undergo Safeguarding Training, to be agreed with the Head of Safeguarding. The successful candidate will be required to complete the necessary. Access NI checks prior to appointment.
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association is an equal opportunities employer.
