IRELAND AND ENGLAND SHARE THE SPOILS AT THE HOME OF IRISH BOXING

Ireland and England went right down to the wire before sharing the spoils in an historic international at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight.

Cork celebrated a hat-trick with Saorise Morrissey, Megan Lehane and Linda Desmond, both of the Rylane BC, recording three wins for the Rebel County over the visitors.

Donegal stand out Chloe McDaid also had her hand raised in triumph in the first ever Schoolgirl meeting at the home of Irish boxing.

Breda Quilligan and Chloe Gabriel produced brave performances in the opening two bouts of the session but were edged out by talented English pair Alex Brown and Maria Edwards on split decisions, while Zoe McGlone and Rebecca Touhy left absolutely everything in the ring

Charlie Horgan was involved in a tight affair with Brook Eaton, with the English feather getting the nod on a split in the battle of the team captains in the penultimate contest of the session. That verdict left the visitors one bout in front with one fight remaining.

But Clare’s Keisha Atwell ensured that it finished honours even with an impressive victory over Emily Asquith in the final bout of a thrilling meeting between two of the top boxing nations in the World.

Atwell and Asquith, both big-hitters, had their moments in the opening two rounds, and the third promised to be good as both would have to go for it…and they didn’t disappoint.

Final scored: 5-5

Pat Ryan, President of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, hailed the performances of both nations and thanked the visting English team and clubs, club coaches, referees and judges and staff for their contribution to what he described as an excellent evening of international boxing.

One minute’s silence, called by MC and IABA Secretary Al Morris, was observed for the deceased and injured in Nice, France last evening.

 

July 15th – Ireland versus England National Stadium Dublin (7.30pm)

 

2003

40kg Breda Quilligan (Rathkeale BC) lost to  Alex Brown (Newbiggin) 1-2

46kg Chloe Gabriel (Mulhuddart BC) lost to Maria Edwards (Collyhurst and Moston) 1-2

2002

44kg Saoirse Morrissey (Setanta BC) beat  Gaynor French (North Road) 3-0

48kg Meghan Lehane (Rylane BC) beat  Sameenah Toussaint (Norholt) 3-0

50kg Chloe McDaid (Illies GG BC) beat Jessica Pattinson (Alnwick) 3-0

50kg Linda Desmond (Rylane BC)  beat Sophie Morton (Droitwich) 2-1

52kg Zoe McGlone (Emerald BC) lost to Jude English (Hamer) 0-3

54kg Rebecca Touhy (Esker BC) lost to  Danielle Marshall (Hartlepool Catholic) 0-3

57kg Charlie Horgan (Ryston BC) lost to  Brook Eaton (Five Star) 1-2

63kg Keisha Atwell (Ennis BC) beat  Emily Asquith (Bridlington) 3-0

 

England arrived in Dublin early this evening ahead of Friday’s historic meeting with Ireland at the National Stadium.

Both nations clash in a first-ever Schoolgirls international at the home of Irish boxing in Dublin.

Friday’s international was initiated by IABA President Pat Ryan who sees the meeting as a stepping stone toward the restoration of home nations boxing at male and female, Junior and Senior Cadet and Youth level.

The IABA President pointed to the strengths of the home nations, stressing that Ireland (8) and Great Britain (12) have qualified 20 of the 286 male and female boxers that will compete at next month’s Olympics in Rio, an impressive return given that the qualifiers, to a large extent, are restricted to a continental format to enhance the universality of the Games.

Moreover, Great Britain finished in No. 1 position in the medals table at London 2012 and Ireland finished joint 5th with Kazakhstan. At underage international level the home nations have also secured impressive medal hauls from male and female World and European competition.

Amanda Coulson, lead coach with England Boxing, backs the IABA President’s call.

“I think it is an excellent idea. It would certainly encourage the extra international participation for the boxers and give them an extra bout, an extra international. It’s something I would support, definitely, she said.

“This is the first meeting between both nations at this level and the team are very much looking forward to Friday’s international. England’s schoolgirls won eight gold medals at the GB Schools Three Nations, and there were some exceptional performances at this year’s Schools Championships, so I’m looking forward to seeing the boxers in action against Ireland.”

Friday’s weigh-in will be held between 1-2pm in the Ringside Club adjacent to the National Stadium. Athletes must bring their record books.

Boxing begins at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available on the door.

€5 for Children U/14 and €10 for Adults.

Club deals are also available – 20 entry for €60 (Terms and conditions apply).

Contact Sally@iaba.ie to reserve space.

Ireland versus England (7.30pm)

(Provisional match ups)

40kg Breda Quilligan (Rathkeale BC) v Alex Brown (Newbiggin)

44kg Saoirse Morrissey (Setanta BC) v Gaynor French (North Road)

46kg Chloe McDaid (Illies GG BC) v Maria Edwards (Collyhurst and Moston)

46kg Chloe Gabriel (Mulhuddart BC) v Jessica Pattinson (Alnwick)

48kg Meghan Lehane (Rylane BC) v Sameenah Toussaint (Norholt)

50kg Linda Desmond (Rylane BC) v Sophie Morton (Droitwich)

52kg Zoe McGlone (Emerald BC) v Jude English (Hamer)

54kg Rebecca Touhy (Esker BC) v Danielle Marshall (Hartlepool Catholic)

57kg Charlie Horgan (Ryston BC) v Brook Eaton (Five Star)

63kg Keisha Atwell (Ennis BC) v Emily Asquith (Bridlington)

 

 

Roads to Rio

 

 

April, 2015 – Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes earned quota places for Rio following a tense and dramatic night in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) in Maiquetía, Venezuela. Barnes, who received a hot reception from the home fans, beat Finol Rivas on a split decision (49-45,49-45, 47-48) in the light-fly class in to book his ticket and Conlan beat Jose Diaz 49-46 across the board on a unanimous verdict. Barnes and Conlan were lining out for Italia Thunder. Any type of victory would have sufficed for Barnes from his last outing of the season against Rivas, and the Belfast orthodox once again delivered to record his 7th straight win for Thunder.Conlan needed to win his last fight of the WSB regular term and hope that Azeri bantam Magomed Gurbanov lost away to Puerto Rico’s Hector Garcia. Gurbanov was the favourite going into the clash, but Garcia dropped the Azeri in the fifth en route to a unanimous decision. The results saw Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin and Conlan finish in the top two places in the 56kg class and qualify.

October, 2015 – Michael Conlan beat Dzimitry Asanau of Belarus in the semi-finals of the World Elite Championships on a unanimous decision to book Olympic qualification for a second time by virtue of finishing in the top three in the bantam class. Conlan, who qualified for Rio through the WSB, achieved the standard again in the Persian Gulf. The International Boxing Association informed National Federations in Doha that in the event of boxers reaching the qualification standard twice that the World place prevails. “It’s an ideal dilemma to have,” observed Conlan’s dad and Irish coach John Conlan. Conlan also went on to win gold to become the first Irish male boxer to secure an AIBA World Elite crown.The Irish captain won the first and third rounds of his 56kg semi-final 10-9 across the board to take a 30-27, 29-28,29-28 decision. Asanau split the judges in his favour in the second round, but Conlan was back on his toes and dominating – he found the target with six unanswered shots in the first 30 seconds of the final frame – to secure victory.

 

October, 2015 – Joe Ward qualified after beating Uzbek light-heavy in the AIBA World Elite 81kg semi-final in Doha, Qatar. The Irish southpaw earned a unanimous decision. The top two light-heavys on the Arabian Peninsula qualify and Ward also guaranteed himself at least silver. “It’s a massive win after the ups and downs I’ve had in my career, missing out on London [2012 Olympic Games]. Then I tried to go the APB route, I did okay at that but got pipped at the post a few times,” said Ward immediately after his win. A lot of people wrote me off in a way, but I knew myself I’d stick with it. Eddie Bolger [coach] stuck with me, my family at home, my kids and my girlfriend motivated me to keep going and I got what I wanted. That’s my dream, to go to the Olympic Games and I’ve got a World silver medal.”

 

December, 2015 – The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) were delighted to confirm that Steven Donnelly had achieved a quota place for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Pat Ryan and Fergal Carruth, President and CEO of the IABA, confirmed that they had been notified by the Olympic Council of Ireland that Donnelly had earned a quota place for the 31st Olympiad. Pat Ryan said: “We are absolutely delighted for Steven and for his club. Steven performed magnificently last season and he won his place on merit. Congratulations to him and all involved.” Fergal Carruth said: “We have received confirmation that Steven has been offered a quota place for the Olympic Games in Rio. This is fantastic news for our sport and congratulations to Steven and his club.” Donnelly, an ex Irish Elite champion, qualified through the World Series of Boxing (WSB). The All Saints BC (Ballymena) welterweight won five of his six outings for the Hussars of Poland in the WSB and finished in the top two in the 69kg WSB class after a number of convoluted scenarios involving results elsewhere fell his way. However, the bottom line was that Donnelly won five WSB fights and fully deserved his seat on the plane to the 2016 Olympic Games.

 

April, 2016 – Brendan Irvine came from behind to see off the challenge of Bulgaria’s Daniel Asenov to secure an Olympic ticket in Samsun, Turkey. Both men – who were born on the same day a year apart, Irvine on May 17th, 1996 and Asenov on May 17th, 1997 – met in a third place box-off, with the winner guaranteed a ticket to Rio 2016. Irvine, the No. 1 seed in the flyweight class in Samsun, had to pull out all the stops to subdue his fiery opponent, who, to his credit, set a pace and never relented. Two of the judges split for Asenov at the end of a first frame which saw the Bulgarian land three big overhand rights, but Irvine, nicknamed “Wee Rooster”,  found his range at mid-way and hit the target with the punch of the bout, a sweet uppercut bang on the button.

April, 2016 – David Oliver Joyce qualified for Rio 2016 following an edge-of-the-seat box-off thriller with Turkey’s Volkan Gokcek on the final day of the 39-nation European Olympic qualifiers in Samsun, Turkey this afternoon. The St Michael’s Athy BC man, one of the great servants of the sport in Ireland, beat the Turkish lightweight on a split decision to realise what he described as his dream of becoming an Olympian. Joyce took the first round, but Gokcek claimed the second before Ireland’s three-time EU champion pulled out all the stops – and the proverbial kitchen sink – to nail the third frame and join his Irish team mates Brendan Irvine, who also qualified in Samsun, on the plane to the 31st Olympiad. Joyce emotionally dedicated his Olympic qualification to the memory of his grandmother.

 

May, 2016 – Katie Taylor qualified for her second successive Olympics at the AIBA World Women’s Elite Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan .Taylor beat Mexico’s Victoria Torres in a fiery 60kg quarter-final to book her ticket into her sixth successive World Elite semi-final since New Delhi 2006. The top four lightweights in Doha qualify. The Bray woman, aiming for her sixth successive World title, lost out in the semi-final stage to France’s Estelle Mossely. However, the Rio ticket was secured and the Olympic champion would be defending her title at the 2016 Olympics.

June, 2016 – Michael O’Reilly added the words Irish Olympian to his CV after earning a unanimous decision (29-28,29-28,29-28) over Azerbaijan’s Shinebayor Narmandakh in the quarter-finals of the World Olympic qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan. The top five middleweights in Baku qualified for the 31st Olympiad and the Irish European Games champion and World Elite bronze medallist went on to win gold in the Azeri capital. O’Reilly, the No. 1 seed in Baku, said he was absolutely thrilled with his victory, and Irish coach Eddie Bolger, who was working O’Reilly’s corner with Ireland chief seconds Zaur Antia, hailed his discipline. He said: “It was a tense affair as you can imagine and it would have been easy for Michael to break discipline, but he was cool and stuck to the game plan in each round.”

 

Irish 2016 Olympic Squad

Women
60kg (Lightweight) – Katie Taylor (Bray)

Men
49kg (Light-flyweight) – Paddy Barnes (Holy Family)
52kg (Flyweight) – Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s)
56kg (Bantamweight) – Michael Conlan (Clonard)
60kg (Lightweight) – David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy & AIBA Pro Boxing)
69kg (Welterweight) – Steven Donnelly (All Saints)
75kg (Middleweight) – Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise)
81kg (Light-heavyweight) – Joe Ward (Moate & AIBA Pro Boxing)

Team manager: Joe Hennigan

Coaches: Zaur Antia, Eddie Bolger, John Conlan