80kg Ryan Collins Murphy (St Monicas) beat Mark Duffy (Charlestown), 5-0
80kg James Whelan (Dublin Docklands) beat Peter Clarke (Errigal), 5-0
92kg Charlie Ward (Monivea) beat Destiny Ogedenbe (Rudiarius), 5-0
92+kg Godstime Ide (Crumlin) W/O
92+kg Martin C McDonagh (Galway) beat Harry Geraghty (Santry), 5-0
Saturday, July 20th – boxing begins at 12am
All programmes are subject to change
48kg Georgia McGovern (Setanta) V Carleigh Irving (Oakleaf)
48kg Louis Rooney (Star) V Bryce Collins (Holy Trinity)
50kg Amber Byrne (Arklow) V Nicole Buckley (DCU Athletic)
51kg Clepson de Santos (Holy Trinity) W/O
52kg Chantelle Robinson (Saviours Crystal) V Nicole Clyde (Antrim)
54kg Robyn Kelly (Ballynacargy) W/O
54kg Patsy Joyce (Olympic L) V Mark Pabilona (Monkstown D)
57kg Natalia Fasciszewska (Castlebar) V Niamh Fay (Ballyboughal)
57kg Gavin Ryan (Ratoath) V Anton Genocky (Dublin Docklands)
60kg Rebecca Kavanagh (Mulhuddart) V Caprice Coiley (Clonard)
60kg Karl Sheridan (Cherry Orchard) V Lee McEvoy (Avona)
63kg Gabrielle Mongan (Whitechurch) V Linda Desmond (Rylane)
63.5kg Joshua Tumana (Dublin Docklands) V Roy Colgan (Avona)
66kg Kaci Rock (Enniskerry) V Laura Moran (St Annes)
67kg Luke Hall (Olympic L) V Malo Davis (Monkstown D)
70kg Lisa O’Rourke (Castlerea) W/O
71kg Bobbi Flood (Cabra) V Darragh Gilroy (Fr Flanagans)
75kg Winnie C McDonagh (Neilstown) V Bethany Doocey (Castlebar)
75kg Josh Olaniyan (Jobstown) V Eoghan Quinn (St Johns U)
80kg Ryan Collins Murphy (St Monicas) V James Whelan (Dublin Docklands)
81+kg Cliona D’Arcy (Tobar Pheadair) V Shauna Buckley (Rylane)
86kg Kian Hedderman (St Francis) V Sean Trant (Monkstown D)
92kg Phelim Mangan (Midleton) V Charlie Ward (Monivea)
92+kg Godstime Ide (Crumlin) V Martin C McDonagh (Galway)
Weigh-Ins
Saturday: 8am to 9am
Boxers will be required to bring their Irish passport, or confirmation of application for an Irish passport, to their first weigh-in. No data will be retained from their passport.
With just 8 days to go until the first bell at Paris 2024, we celebrate Irish Boxing’s Olympic centenary by revisiting our first boxing Gold.
Sixty eight years after Michael “Mossy” Doyle – the first Irish boxer to step into the ring at the Olympics at the 1924 Games in Paris – began Ireland’s quest for one of the biggest prizes in sport on July 15th of that year, Michael Carruth finally ended Ireland’s long wait for a boxing gold at the Barcelona Olympics on August 8th, 1992.
Wayne McCullough was also trading leather for gold on a day which saw underdogs Ireland slated to meet powerhouses Cuba in a double header in the bantamweight and welterweight classes. It finished honours even.
Computer scoring, as a result of the fallout from the Roy Jones versus Park Si-hun outrage at the previous Olympics, was used for the first time in the Catalan capital, and the new system reflected the dominance of McCullough, a gold medal winner for Northern Ireland at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, as he cruised through his opening three bouts, hammering Fredrick Mutewata of Uganda, who must have been sick of the sight of the Belfast man at this stage as he lost to him at the 1988 Olympics, Ahmed Ghimin of Iraq and Mohammed Sabo of Nigeria on convincing 28-7, 10-2 and 31-13 verdicts.
The win over Sabo was for a place in the semi-finals and at least a bronze medal. The Belfast fighter, later to be nicknamed “The Pocket Rocket”, met Li Gwang-Sik of Korea in the last-four and booked his ticket into the 54kg decider with a 21-16 victory following a slug-fest with the North Korean.
In the corresponding semi-final, Cuba’s Joel “El Cipillo” (The Brush) Casamayor stopped Mohammed Achik (Morocco) in the first.
The stage was set for a compelling bantamweight duel, but it the Guantanamo-born southpaw who got the decision, a 16-8 verdict, at the Pavelló Club Joventut de Badalona venue, despite a storming final round from the Irish champion, who was bravely fighting through the pain barrier after picking up a severe facial injury after being on the receiving end of a stinging right from El Cipillo in the second round. McCullough fought heroically through the pain barrier.
Casamayor, according to reports, defected from Cuba on the eve of the 1996 Games in Atlanta to turn professional and won a World pro title, as did McCullough after he switched codes.
Meanwhile, Carruth was limbering up in the dressing room for his welterweight clash with Juan Hernandez. The Dublin southpaw, the captain of the Irish team in 1992, beat Maselino Tuifao 11-2 in his opening bout to set up a last-16 duel with a familiar foe in the quarter-finals; Andreas Otto, who was now boxing for a unified Germany.
Three years prior to their Barcelona clash, Otto, then boxing for East Germany, had beaten Carruth 18-1 in the light-welterweight semi-finals of the 5th AIBA World Championships in Moscow, an outrageous verdict that in no way reflected Carruth’s performance, or, for that matter, Otto’s implied dominance.
However, the Irish skipper exacted sweet revenge in the rematch, the Drimnagh BC southpaw forcing Otto into a standing count in the first en route to a 35-22 decision and at least a bronze medal.
Next up was Arkon Chenglai in the semi-finals. He was dispatched on a score of 11-4, Carruth recalling that he got the impression that the Thai didn’t fancy meeting a Cuban – Hernandez went through Puerto Rico’s Anibal Acevedo for a short cut in the other semi-final – in the final and seemed happy enough with bronze.
Ireland had another boxer through to the finals, but the odds, according to the bookies, and various boxing pundits, who were giving Carruth about as much chance as a goldfish thrown into a bathtub with a barracuda, looked bleak.
However, the Dubliner had other ideas and edged a tactical opening frame 4-3. Carruth dropped points after receiving a public warning for holding in the second and trudged back to his corner expecting to be in arrears – but the scores were locked at 8-8.
It was to be decided final frame. Herdandez’s corner had given their man, a silver medal winner at the Seoul Olympics, an earful during the interval and he came out with all guns blazing. However, Carruth was still drawing him down his southpaw alley and was still picking up precious points on the counter. Over in his corner, his dad and coach, Austin, and Ireland’s Cuban coach, Nicholas Cruz, were screaming out instructions.
After the final bell, the signals coming from various unofficial sources at ringside were indicating Carruth had it by a three point margin, but the official score had yet to be announced. The tension was palpable, and the MC rambling on in Spanish wasn’t exactly conducive for anyone (Irish) of a nervous disposition.
Finally, it was announced that Carruth had won 13-10 and and the place erupted. Ireland’s long wait for a gold medal in boxing was over, and the 36-year gap between Ronnie Delaney’s gold medal win in the 1,500m at the 1956 Games in Melbourne had been bridged.
Paul Douglas also came close to winning a medal at the Barcelona Games.Wins against John Peterson and Alexei Tchoudinov seeing the Holy Family BC heavyweight into the quarter-finals, but he was then beaten by Holland’s Arnold Vanderlijde in the last-eight.
Vanderlijde was beaten in the semi-finals by Cuba’s legendary Felix Savon, who many consider the greatest amateur boxer of all time.
Paul Griffin had secured a European gold in in the featherweight class in Gothenburg in 1991 – Paddy Barnes was to bridge that 19-year gap to win gold in Moscow in 2010 – but the Dubliner, also of the Drimnagh BC, went out to Steven Chubgu of Zambia in Barcelona.
Paul Buttimer, the second Sunnyside BC boxer to appear at the Olympics after Kieran Joyce, also went out in the preliminaries. Boxing at flyweight, Buttimer lost to Nigeria’s Moses Malagu, who lost to eventual silver medallist, Raul Gonzalez of Cuba, in the next phase.
Kevin McBride fell at the first hurdle. The Smithboro BC super–heavyweight lost to Peter Hrivnak. Thirteen years after that defeat, McBride caused a sensation when he beat Mike Tyson in Washington.Tyson announced his retirement after that loss.
Cuba took home seven gold medals from the 12 weight categories in Barcelona – but they didn’t take the welterweight gold back to Havana. That, along with Wayne McCullough’s silver, was on its way back to Ireland.
Cuba’s dominance did, however, ensure that the 1992 Irish finished in the highest ever position for an Irish team in the medals table at the boxing event at the Olympic Games.
Cuba claimed seven of the twelve gold’s, Germany two, Ireland, North Korea and USA one apiece. But McCullough’s silver medal, combined with Carruth’s gold, meant that Ireland finished fourth ahead of North Korea. The top five in the medals table were, Cuba, Germany, USA, Ireland and North Korea.
Likewise, the 1992 squad finished one place ahead of the London 2012 squad, who matched the 1992 gold and silver and surpassed Barcelona team with two bronze and finished joint fifth in the medals table with Kazakhstan, two places ahead of the 1956 Irish side who also claimed four medals.
Sean Horkan was Irish team manager in Barcelona.
A qualification system was introduced for the first time for Barcelona. A new word entered the boxing lexicon, the dreaded “countback”.
Team Ireland: Barcelona 1992
Flyweight: Paul Buttimer (Sunnyside)
Lost to Moses Malagu (Nigeria) 8-12
Bantamweight: Wayne McCullough (Albert Foundry) – Silver
Beat Frederick Muteweta (Uganda) 28-7
Beat Ahmed Ghmim Abbood (Iraq) 10-2
Beat Mohammed Sabo (Nigeria) 31-13
Beat Gwang-Sik (North Korea) 21-16
Finals
Lost to Joel Casamayor (Cuba) 8-16
Featherweight: Paul Griffin (Drimnagh)
Lost to Steven Chubgu (Zambia) TKOI2
Welterweight: Michael Carruth (Drimnagh) – Gold
Beat Maselino Tuifao (Western Samoa) 11-2
Beat Andreas Otto (Germany) 35-22
Beat Arkom Chenglai (Thailand) 11-4
Final Beat Juan Hernandez (Cuba) 13-10
Heavyweight: Paul Douglas (Holy Family)
Beat John Pettersson (Sweden) 8-1
Beat Alexei Tchoudinov (CIS) 15-9
Lost to Arnold Vanderlijde (Holland) TKOI1
Super-heavyweight: Kevin McBride (Smithboro)
Lost to Peter Hrivnak (Czechoslovakia) 1-21
Check out the highlights of the Games.
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the independent teams of Estonia and Latvia made their first apparition since 1936, and Lithuania sent its first team since 1928. The other ex-Soviet republics participated as a “unified team”, although the winners were honoured under the flags of their own republics.
The 1992 Summer Olympic programme featured 257 events in 25 sports.
Boycott-free
For the first time since 1972, the Games were boycott-free, due to important global political changes.
A draft Rulebook is bring presented for consultation. This is the second round of consultation on the Rulebook. The existing rulebook, adopted in 2019, is available here
The first consultation period through rules@iaba.ie, open to all members of all clubs and units, took place between 21st November and 21st December 2023.
The Rules Committee would like to extend its thanks to Dom Robinson of South East BC & Wexford County Board; Ken Moore of St. Francis BC; James Reynolds of East Down ABC, John King, Ronan Malone of Defence Forces, Gerard Fleming of Neilstown BC, and Andrew Duncan of Rochfortbridge BC for their significant contributions to this process.
The attached draft follows a review conducted by the of the 2019 rulebook, and rulebooks in 2006 and 2017, and a benchmarking of rules against international best practice.
A draft rulebook is now available, and attached. Clubs, Club Members, County Boards, Provincial Units are invited to share their views on this draft to rules@iaba.ie, by 5pm on Friday, July 19th. Once that process is completed, all proposals will be reviewed by the Rules Committee for assessment and inclusion.
Work is continuing on the IABA’s Competition and Technical Rules, which will sit alongside the Rulebook, and communication on this will take place in due course.
It’s 9 days until Team Ireland Boxing enters the field of play at Paris 2024, marking the centenary of Irish Olympic boxing.
We’re celebrating each and every Irish boxing team, and today revisit Seoul 1988. Ireland’s seven-strong boxing squad headed east, searching for an 8th Olympic medal.
Hughie Russell had been the last Irish fighter to finish in a podium position eight years previously in Moscow.
Unfortunately, politics once again denied boxing fans the opportunity to see the great Cuban class of 1988, as the Caribbean Island, who had boycotted the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, also stayed away from the Seoul Olympiad.
However, the USSR, who had also boycotted the 1984 Games, were back in the Olympic fold, and one of their boxers, Timofei Skriabin, denied Ireland’s Joe Lawlor.
Lawlor made a winning start, stopping Archer Fausto of Mozambique in frame two of his opening bout, but the Darndale BC flyweight bowed out on a unanimous decision to the Soviet, who would progress to secure bronze.
Joe Lowey was the only Irish boxer to register a double in Seoul, positive decisions over Iraq’s Mustafa Saleh and Nigeria’s Shana Mohammed seeing the Ledley Hall BC bantamweight through to the last-16.
But Lowey went out on a split decision to Nurshan Altankhuyey of Mongolia, who would drop a unanimous decision to Phajol Moolsan of Thailand in the quarter-finals.
Wexford’s Billy Walsh, the former Irish head coach, had beaten Korea’s Kyung-sup Song in a pre Olympic tournament in Seoul a few months prior to the Games, Walsh dropping and stopping the Asian.
Both men were drawn against each other again at the Olympics, but this time Song got the decision after Walsh was forced to retire with a cut over his left eye in the second round. The Irish corner pleaded with the ringside doctor to allow the welterweight bout to continue, but the pleas fell on deaf ears.
Song reached the quarter-finals, but was shaded on a split decision by eventual silver-medallist, Laurent Boudouani of France.
Kieran Joyce, appearing in his second Olympiad, once again got off to a victorious start, this time out beating Fili Vaka in the opening frame. However, the Leesider then lost 3-2 to Uganda’s Fred Wanyama in the last-16, while Paul Fitzgerald beat Emilio Villega of the Dominican Republic but was then beaten by Great Britain’s Dave Anderson.
Wayne McCullough and Michael Carruth also won their opening contests in Seoul.Positive verdicts over Uganda’s Frederick Mutewata and Japan’s Shinju Higashi saw both men have their hands raised in triumph.
But the Irish duo were eliminated in the next phase following reversals to Canada’s Scott Olson and Sweden’s George Cramne, who would take home silver from Seoul.
However, the experience of competing at the Seoul games proved invaluable for McCullough and Carruth as they would return for their second Olympics four years later.
The 1988 Games was the scene of probably the most outrageous decision in the entire history of Olympic boxing.
Roy Jones of the USA beat of Park Si-Hun of South Korea from here to Calcutta and back by way of the Treaty Stone in Limerick in the light-middleweight final – Jones actually found the target with 86 punches to Si-Hun’s 32.
But despite all the protests, consternation and clear cut evidence of daylight robbery, Si-Hun still stood on top of the podium, a silver medal winner with a gold medal around his neck.
The three judges that voted against Jones were later suspended and the American was presented with the Val Barker trophy as the best stylistic boxer of the 1988 games, one of only three occasions when they award did not go to a gold medal winner. The uproar over Jones’ final with Si-Hun would see the old scoring system scrapped and a new computerised scoring system, “to make judges’ officiating more objective”, introduced in the lead up to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona
The new scoring system was first used at the 5th AIBA World Championships in Moscow in 1989. Michael Carruth had to settle for bronze after being beaten in the semi-finals by East Germany’s Andreas Otto in the Russian capital. Carruth and Otto would renew acquaintances at the Barcelona Olympiad three years later!
The Irish squad in Seoul won seven bouts and lost seven.
Team Ireland: Seoul, 1988
Light-flyweight: Wayne McCullough (Albert Foundry)
Beat Frederick Mutewata (Uganda) 5-0 Lost to Scottie Olson (Canada) 0-5
Flyweight: Joe Lawlor (Darndale)
Beat Archer Fausto (Mozambique) KO2 Lost to bronze medalist Timofei Skriabin (USSR) 0-5
Bantamweight: John Lowey (Ledley Hall)
Beat Mustafa Saleh (Iraq) 5-0
Beat Shana Mohammed (Nigeria) 4-1
Lost to Nurshan Altankhuyey (Mongolia) 2-3
Featherweight: Paul Fitzgerald (Transport)
Beat Emilio Villegas (Dominican Republic) 4-1
Lost to Dave Anderson (Great Britain) 0-5
Lightweight: Michael Carruth (Drimnagh)
Beat Shinju Higashi (Japan) 5-0
Lost to eventual silver medalist George Cramne (Sweden) TKO1
Welterweight: Billy Walsh (St Joseph’s)
Lost to Kyung-sup Song (Korea) TKOI2
Middleweight: Kieran Joyce (Sunnyside)
Beat Fili Vaka (Tonga) TKO1
Lost to Fred Wanyama (Uganda).
Check out highlights of these Games.
The 1988 Summer Olympics featured 23 different sports encompassing 31 disciplines, and medals were awarded in 237 events.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) boycotted, and was joined by Cuba, Ethiopia and Nicaragua. Still, records were set with 159 nations participating, 52 winning medals and 31 taking home gold medals.
Sprint Scandal
Canadian Ben Johnson set a world record in the 100m sprint, but tested positive for steroids. Johnson was the first world-famous athlete to be disqualified for using drugs. After his disqualification, Carl Lewis was awarded the 100m gold, meaning he had successfully defended his 1984 Olympic title.
Debuts and Firsts
For the first time, all three medallists in equestrian dressage were women. Swedish fencer Kerstin Palm became the first woman to take part in seven Olympic Games, and table tennis made its Olympic debut. Tennis also returned to the programme after a hiatus of 64 years. The event was open to professionals, and Steffi Graf concluded her Grand Slam tennis season by winning Olympic gold.
Boxers will be required to bring their Irish passport, or confirmation of application for an Irish passport, to their first weigh-in. No data will be retained from their passport.
Friday, July 19th – boxing begins at 6pm
All programmes are subject to change.
63.5kg Joshua Tumana (Dublin Docklands) V Alex McAleer (Ballyshannon)
63.5kg Roy Colgan (Avona) V Sean Roche (Drimnagh)
67kg Luke Hall (Olympic L) V Gianni Richmond (Cairn Lodge)
67kg Malo Davis (Monkstown D) V Keelyn Roche (St Aidans)
