WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Irish boxing is putting the finishing touches to preparations for the 2018 AIBA World Men’s and Women’s Youth Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The 11-strong squad is in training camp this week at the High-Performance Centre in Abbotstown in the lead up to the start of the tournament.

Irish boxing has a proud history at the World Youths, and by extension the Olympic Youth Games.

Eight years ago, current professional titlist Ryan Burnett, pictured above with Olympic Youth gold, donated the vest of a first ever Olympic Youth gold medallist to a sports history museum.

The Belfast bantam topped the light-flyweight podium at the 2010 Olympic Youths in Singapore.

Burnett, boxing out of the Holy Family BC, beat Azerbaijan’s Salman Alizade in the 48kg decider on a 13-6 score under the old computer scoring system.

The 48kg final – the light-fly limit was later increased to 49kg – was the 1st final on the card, making Burnett the first ever Olympic Youth champion from the inaugural Games.

Burnett recently confirmed that he donated his 48kg singlet to the Sports Museum in Singapore after his victory in August 2010.

The Olympic Youth champion qualified for Singapore 2010 after reaching the 2010 World Youth final in Baku, Azerbaijan where he was beaten 9-4 by Alizade.

Joe Ward, a year after he secured World Junior gold, claimed World Youth gold in Baku following his 6-1 decision over Australia’s Damien Hooper.

But Ward lost out in the preliminaries in Singapore to the same opponent after suffering a serious hand injury in the first round of the middleweight bout.

Irish boxing has a commendable history at the Olympic Youths with Burnett, Ciara Ginty (silver) and Michael Gallagher (bronze) finishing in podium positions in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the tournament in Azerbaijan and China.

Lauren Kelly and Dean Clancy will represent Ireland at the 2018 Olympic Youth Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Kelly and Clancy are also included on an 11-strong Irish squad for the World Youths.

World Men’s & Women’s Youth Championships Budapest, Hungary August 20/31