The Ambassadors. A twin portrait of Katie Taylor and Alanna Audley-Murphy by Irish artist Paul MacCormaic

IRISH women’s boxing has travelled a long way since Bray and Belfast teenagers Katie Taylor and Alanna Audley-Murphy met in the first officially sanctioned Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) women’s bout at Dublin’s National Stadium in 2001.

Both women clashed in the only female contest on a 16-bout card on October 31 of that year.

Dominic O’Rourke, then President of the IABA, described the event as “a momentous day for Irish boxing.”

“The people couldn’t believe it, they hadn’t seen women’s boxing before and they seemed quite impressed, said Audley-Murphy after the historic meeting.

“Since then we remained very good friends and she even mentioned me in the interview straight after winning the gold medal in London.”

Taylor and Audley-Murphy were also the first Irish female boxers to claim medals in European competition in 2005 and 2006. Since that double, 78 medals have been secured at all levels of international competition by Irish women.

Moreover, women’s boxing, courtesy of Taylor, is the only Irish sport to win Olympic gold this century.

At Elite international level, Kellie Harrington won AIBA World silver this year, becoming to only Irish women besides Taylor to occupy a podium at the World Championships and, consequently, becoming the only Irish women besides Taylor to be ranked in the top five in the world by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

National Women’s Championships National Stadium Dublin

At grass roots level, the Girls 1 to 6 Championships at the National Stadium in 2015 and 2016 featured hundreds of female athletes. May’s Girls 1 to 6 Championships was completed after a marathon 230 bouts.

The Girls 1 to 6 Championships is now one of the biggest tournaments in the IABA domestic calendar.

Some may have been spooked on Halloween weekend in 2001 when Taylor and Audley-Murphy answered an opening bell at the home of Irish boxing.

They met over three one-and-a-half-minute rounds; Taylor, then just 15, winning 23-12 on points under the old computer scoring system.

Donegal’s Sadie Duffy refereed the watershed moment for Irish sport featuring an all female cast.

“It was history in the making. It was a huge stage for the girls. They were only young girls at the time. It was massive,” said Duffy after a three-rounder which marked the first occasion when there were no males, either boxers or bout-officials, inside the ropes at the South Circular Road venue for a contest.

Meantime, Taylor and Ciara Ginty, a World Junior champion and Youth Olympic silver medallist, have also accepted the AIBA Elite and Junior World Women’s Boxer of the Year Awards.

Below is the Irish medal count since the IABA had the foresight to see the future and sanction a women’s bout in Ireland fifteen years ago.

A few weeks after that contest, the International Boxing Association ran the inaugural AIBA World Women’s Elite Championships in the USA.

Irish women’s boxing is proudly sponsored by Quick Park of Dublin Airport.

Medal Count Irish Women’s Boxing 2001/2016

OLYMPIC GAMES (1 gold)

2012: London Katie Taylor (Gold)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

2006: New Delhi: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2008: Ningbo City:Katie Taylor (Gold)
2010: Bridgetown: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2012: Qinhuangdao: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2014: Jeju:Katie Taylor (Gold)
2016: Astana: Kelly Harrington (Silver)
2016: Astana:Katie Taylor (Bronze)

EUROPEAN GAMES (1 gold)

2015: Baku: Katie Taylor (Gold)

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (6 gold and 1 bronze)

2005: Tonsberg: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2006: Warsaw: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2007: Vejle: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2009: Nikolayev: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2011: Rotterdam: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2014: Bucharest: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2014: Bucharest: Clare Grace (Bronze)

EUROPEAN UNION CHAMPIONSHIPS (5 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze)

2006: Porto Torres: Alanna Audley-Murphy (Bronze)
2008: Liverpool: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2008: Liverpool: Debbie Rogers (Bronze)
2009: Pazardzhik: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2010: Keszthely: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2011: Katowice: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2011: Katowice: Louise Traynor (Bronze)
2011: Katowice: Lauragh O’Neill (Bronze)
2013: Keszthely: Katie Taylor (Gold)
2013: Keszthely: Lianne Murphy (Silver)
2013: Keszthely: Claire Grace (Bronze)

YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES (1 silver)

2014: Nanjing: Ciara Ginty (Silver)

WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS (1 silver, 3 bronze)

2011: Antalya: Katie Rowland (Bronze)
2011: Antalya: Michaela Walsh (Bronze)
2013: Albena: Christina Desmond (Silver)
2015: Taipei: Natasha Logan (Bronze)

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (1 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze)

2011: Antalya:Austeja Accuieta (Bronze)
2013: Albena: Ciara Ginty (Gold)
2013: Albena: Jacqui Lynch (Bronze)
2015: Taipei:Niamh Earley (Silver)
2015: Taipei:Kelsey Leonard (Bronze)
2015: Taipei: Joanne Richards (Bronze)

EUROPEAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS (1 gold,4 silver, 5 bronze)

2010: Sangatte: Katie Rowland (Silver)
2010: Sangatte: Michaela Walsh (Bronze)
2010: Sangatte: Sarah Close (Bronze)
2010: Sangatte: Claire Grace (Bronze)
2014: Assisi: Kristina O’Hara (Silver)
2014: Assisi: Amy Broadhurst (Silver)
2014: Assisi: Chayanne O’Neill (Silver)
2014: Assisi: Lauren Hogan (Bronze)
2015: Keszthely: Amy Broadhurst (Gold)
2015: Keszthely: Saoirse Dignam (Bronze)

EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (1 gold, 5 silver, 12 bronze)

2008: Yambol: Michaela Walsh (Silver)
2008: Yambol:Sarah Close (Bronze)
2010: Sangatte: Christina Gargan (Silver)
2010: Sangatte: Nicole Meli (Bronze)
2012: Wladyslawowo: Amy Broadhurst (Gold)
2012: Wladyslawowo: Sally Carrig (Bronze)
2012: Wladyslawowo: Niamh Folan (Bronze)
2014: Assisi: Shaneen Flynn (Silver)
2014: Assisi:Shauna Blaney (Bronze)
2014: Assisi:Shannon Reilly (Bronze)
2014: Assisi:Aoife Burke (Bronze)
2015: Keszthely:Orla Garvey (Silver)
2015: Keszthely: Shauna O’Callaghan (Silver)
2015: Keszthely: Chloe Callender (Bronze)
2015: Keszthely: Caitlin Fryers (Bronze)
2015: Keszthely: Kelsey Leonard (Bronze)
2015: Keszthely: Katelynn Phelan (Bronze)
2015: Keszthely: Lauren Kelly (Bronze)

EUROPEAN UNION YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS (1 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze)

2013: Keszthely:Kristina O’Hara (Gold)
2013: Keszthely:Niamh Ball (Silver)
2013: Keszthely:Christina Gargan (Bronze)
2013: Keszthely:Christina Desmond (Bronze)
2013: Keszthely: Kathy Higgins (Bronze)
2013: Keszthely: Maeve McCarron (Bronze)

EUROPEAN UNION JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (3, gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)

2013: Keszthely:Jacqui Lynch (Gold)
2013: Keszthely: Grainne Gavin (Gold)
2013: Keszthely: Amy Broadhurst (Gold)
2013: Keszthely: Ciara Sheedy (Silver)
2013: Keszthely: Ciara McGinty (Bronze)
2013: Keszthely: Leah Marie Doyle-Roche (Bronze)

Dublin team and staff including two-time Olympian Phil Sutcliffe

Dublin Schoolboys meet Yorkshire Schoolboys at Dublin’s National Stadium this Saturday afternoon.

Boxing begins at 1pm.

Saturday’s card will feature 25 bouts of top class quality with Irish, English, Dublin and Yorkshire champions on display.

This is the second leg of the event as Dublin heroically fought back from 7-2 down to take the overall victory 13-9 last January.

So Yorkshire will arrive with all guns blazing!

Admission for the event is free for kids and €10 for adults.

Below is the program for the day.

Dublin Schoolboys v Yorkshire Schoolsboys National Stadium Dublin September 17th (1pm)

30.5kg Gavin Ryan Ratoath BC vs Marko Voronovs Yorkshire Boxing
34kg Martin Collins Drimnagh BC vs Jack Lambert Yorkshire Boxing
34kg Wayne Joyce Esker BC vs David Mooney Yorkshire Boxing
36kg Patrick Maughan Crumlin BC vs Lewis Pawson Yorkshire Boxing
36kg Ned Collins Crumlin BC vs Colby Tongue Yorkshire Boxing
38kg Tommy McDonnell Bay City BC vs Lewis Walker Yorkshire Boxing
42kg Christopher Joyce Ballymun BC vs TBC Yorkshire Boxing
48kg Wayne Joyce Baldoyle BC vs TBC Yorkshire Boxing
34kg Scott Fay Docklands BC vs Billy Hughes Yorkshire Boxing
36kg Jake Ward Darndale BC vs Patrick Gaskin Yorkshire Boxing
39kg Ryan Squire Monkstown BC vs Michael Conroy Yorkshire Boxing
46kg Sean Roche Donore BC vs  Jerry Price Yorkshire Boxing
46kg Jake McLaughlin Drimnagh BC vs  Issac Price Yorkshire Boxing
56kg Josh Olaniyian Jobstown BC vs  Jacob Kershaw Yorkshire Boxing
36kg Karl Sheridan Crumlin BC vs  Mykle Ahmed Yorkshire Boxing
40kg Luke Mooney Ballymun BC vs Blaine Lambert Yorkshire Boxing
40kg Seamus Mongan Avona BC vs Patrick Lee Yorkshire Boxing
41kg Jack Rapple Monkstown BC vs Ben Oliver Yorkshire Boxing
45kg Ciaran Delaney Glasnevin BC vs Ted Jackson Yorkshire Boxing
45kg Jonathan Hughes Jobstown BC vs Junaid Boston Yorkshire Boxing
46kg Taylor Guiney Lucan BC vs Michael Brooke Yorkshire Boxing
48kg Cain Lewis Ballymun BC vs Harry Ingle Yorkshire Boxing
52kg James Whelan Docklands BC vs Edward Hardy Yorkshire Boxing
60kg Daryl Brennan Cherry Orchard BC vs Billy Baker Yorkshire Boxing
60kg Patrick Joyce Baldoyle BC vs Wayne Doyle Yorkshire Boxing

Team Manager Philip Sutcliffe, Crumlin BC – Team Manager Maria Maronitis, Yorkshire Boxing
Coach JP Kinsella, Monkstown BC Coach – Malcom McIver, Yorkshire Boxing
Coach Philip Keogh, Docklands BC Coach –  Stevie Smith, Yorkshire Boxing
Coach Michael Myers, Crumlin BC Coach –  Dave Nelson, Yorkshire Boxing
Coach Liam Murphym Cherry Orchard BC – Coach Dean Lambert, Yorkshire Boxing
Coach Denis Robbins, Yorkshire Boxing
R&J Frank Lazenby, Yorkshire Boxing

Brendan Irvine (red) in action

Brendan Irvine believes the experience of boxing at the Rio Olympics will stand to him as he builds toward another Olympic cycle.

The Belfast flyweight, nicknamed “Wee Rooster”, was beaten by Uzbekistan’s eventual gold medallist Shakhobidin Zoirov on his Olympic debut in Rio last month.

“The fella I fought was the better boxer on the day,” admitted the St Paul’s BC man.“That’s what it came down to. After the fight I knew he was going to win the gold medal and he did.

“He was very tricky. His distance was very good. He knew when I was in range and out of range so he made it hard for me. I did everything I could, that’s all anyone can really ask for.

“I can actually call myself an Olympian now, but obviously when you go away you want to bring back a medal and do yourself and your family proud, added Irvine, who claimed two Irish Elite titles at two different weights last year.

“I suppose it’s just the luck of the draw. If I had have been on the other side of the draw then there is no reason why I couldn’t have come home with a medal.”

Irvine reckons that while one door has now closed another will open next year with the Irish, World and European Championships on the immediate horizon in a busy 2017.

“I’m still only 20 years of age. There’s a long road ahead as an amateur yet. There’s four years to go (to Tokyo 2020) and they will fly by, said the European Games silver medallist and youngest member of the Irish Rio 2016 boxing squad.

“I’ll get back training, hopefully win the Seniors and get back for next year. One door closes and another opens, so I will just move on, get one with life and boxing.”