Christina Desmond has joined the Team Ireland boxers with podium finishes at the elite Golden Belt-Nicolae Linca tournament in Romania.

She claimed a split decision decision win over Ukraine, and booked her place in Friday’s final. She’ll face German opposition

Also through to tomorrow’s women’s finals is 48kg Shannon Sweeney, who was the first Irish boxers between the ropes in Tagru Mures today. She was the unanimous decision winner in her bout with Spain’s Marta Arbol Lopez.

#TeamIreland‘s Gráinne Walsh is through to the 66kg Finals following a unanimous decision win over Italy

57kg Jennifer Lehane leaves the tournament at the semi final stag, with a bronze medal. She also faced Spanish opposition

63.5kg Dean Clancy has battled his way to the next stage of his competition, with a unanimous decision win over Belgium’s Mohamed Boukala.

🚨🚨🚨 Golden Belt result:#TeamIreland's Jennifer Lehane leaves the tournament with a 🥉following a split-decision loss to 🇪🇸 in her 57kg semi-final.

Well done, Jennifer🥊 pic.twitter.com/trgI4fsOz0

— IABA (@IABABOXING) April 7, 2022

Yesterday, Olympic Bronze medallist, Aidan Walsh, made his post-Tokyo return to the ring against Uzbekistan’s Turgunboev Kromronbek and came away with a split decision win. He’s now through to the semi-finals and has secured at least a bronze medal.

80kg Kelyn Cassidy has also won through to the semi finals, and at least a bronze, following a unanimous decision win over home boxer, Catalin Florin Serban.

60kg Amy Broadhurst has a straight final against home boxer, Pita Daniela and is assured of a medal.

63.5kg Brandon McCarthy will open his account at the tournament at Quarter Finals stage, against Uzbekistan’s Kenaey Shobrunkbek

At 75kg, Ireland’s Gabriel Dossen has a bye to the semi-finals, where he will face either German or Uzbek opposition.

 48kg Ricky Nesbitt will face Ukrainian opposition in the Semi Finals of the competition.

🚨🚨🚨 Golden Belt result:#TeamIreland's Dean Clancy is through to the 63.5kg Quarter Finals following a unanimous decision win over 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/Gc6TzVnoyP

— IABA (@IABABOXING) April 7, 2022

Day Four programme:

Evening Session:

Bout 1: Shannon Sweeney V Romania – Final

Bout 3: Amy Broadhurst V Romania – Final

Bout 5: Gabriel Dossen V Uzbekistan – Semi Final

Bout 7: Kelyn Cassidy V Uzbekistan – Semi Final

Afternoon Session:

Bout 1: Ricky Nesbitt V Ukraine – Semi Final

Bout 6: Adam Hession V Georgia – Semi Final

Bout 9: Dean Clancy V Germany – Semi Final

Bout 10: Brandon McCarthy V Uzbekistan – Semi Final

Bout 14: Aidan Walsh V Moldova – Semi Final

Team Ireland Squad

Women:

W48kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s, Mayo.

W57kg Jennifer Lehane, DCU, Dublin
W63kg Amy Broadhurst, St. Bronaghs ABC, Rostrevor.

W66kg Gráinne Walsh, Spartacus, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

W70kg Christina Desmond, Dungarvan BC, Waterford/Garda Boxing Club

Men:

48kg Rickey Nesbitt, Holy Family, Drogheda

57kg Adam Hession, Monivea BC, Galway.

63.5kg Brandon McCarthy, St. Michael’s Athy

63.5kg Dean Clancy, Sean McDermott BC, Manorhamilton, Leitrim.

67kg Eugene McKeever, Holy Family, Drogheda

71kg Aidan Walsh, Emerald , Belfast

75kg Gabriel Dossen, Olympic, Galway.

80kg Kelyn Cassidy, Saviours Crystal BC, Waterford.

Coaches: Dmitrij Dmitruk, Eoin Pluck, Igor Khmil

Physio: Robert Tuomey

R&J: Sean Duffy

Tournament Schedule:

April 4^th: Preliminaries

April 5^th: Preliminaries

April 6^th: Women’s Semi Finals

April 7^th: Men’s Semi Finals

April 8^th: Women’s Finals

April 9^th: Men’s Finals.

Draws are available here

Day One session results are here

Day Two session results are here

Day Three session results and programme:

The Ireland Youth Team is continuing preparations for the European Youth Championships.

The tournament is being hosted by the Bulgarian Boxing Federation and takes place in Sofia.

The Ireland squad have been in camp since last weekend and will depart for the tournament on Tuesday.

The draw will take place on the evening of April 13th, and boxing begins on April 14th.

The team is comprised of a 24 strong squad, Team Manager, Officials and an R&J.

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association’s ‘HI GARDA’ initiative has come to a successful conclusion, following its launch in September 2021. The initiative saw community Gardaí visiting their local boxing clubs to engage and interact with members, with clubs nationwide taking part. The ‘HI GARDA’ programme represented another strengthening of the ties between the IABA and An Garda Síochána, a relationship that is 100 years old.

The IABA and An Garda Síochána enjoy a rich and proud history, dating all the way back to the inception of the association in 1911. In the 1920s, General Eoin O’Duffy placed a great importance on the sport of boxing within An Garda Síochána, seeing it as a means of introducing Gardaí into their local communities as they assisted in the establishment of boxing clubs throughout the country. It was this work that laid the foundations for the enduring relationship which continues to flourish to this very day.

Delighted to be involved with this High Garda campaign. I think it's important to acknowledge and appreciate the relationship between Irish Boxing and the Gards. It's a relationship that is 100 yers strong this year and the Gards have been involved in Irish boxing at every level. https://t.co/9zlkXfUb2k

— Eric Lilywhite Lightning Donovan (@ericdonovanbox) April 7, 2022

The IABA is extremely proud of the work currently being conducted through the Garda Boxing Club and by the large number of Gardaí actively involved within boxing clubs throughout the country. The IABA also proudly boasts Garda Christina Desmond as an active boxer within its High-Performance Unit and Garda Adam Nolan was also a member of the 2012 Olympic boxing team.   

HI GARDA builds on a 2018 initiative in which 17 Gardai underwent IABA training and qualified as Level 1 boxing coaches. That programme was designed to enable meaningful engagement between Gardai and boxers, in light of the fact many boxing clubs are based in areas of historic social, economic and educational disadvantage. This community-based and pro-active collaborative work between both organisations is extremely important to these clubs, their communities and to the Association, and the new ‘HI GARDA’ programme was introduced with the aim of building on this work even more into the future.

Speaking about the success of the initiative, IABA CEO Fergal Carruth said: “An Garda Síochána has played a huge part in the formation and development of the IABA and it is fantastic to have been able to highlight the very close bond that has always been shared between both organisations, past and present, through this initiative. We have been thrilled with the success of the ‘HI GARDA’ initiative and it has been great to see clubs across the country getting involved. It is our hope that the ‘HI GARDA’ initiative is but the first of many further collaborative programs between the IABA and An Garda Síochána.”

Team Ireland recorded four wins on Day Two of the Golden Belt-Nicolae Linca Tournament in Targu Mures, Romania and are now assured of seven medals.

66kg Gráinne Walsh has won through to the semi finals, and at least a bronze medal, following unanimous decision victory over Hungary’s Vivien Bodai in the first bout of the day. Bodai was giving standing counts in the first and third rounds.

In bout 3 of the same session, 57kg Adam Hession was decisive in his victory over home boxer, Romania’s Laurentiu Mihai Vaduva, in the preliminaries. He’s now booked his place in the Quarter Finals.

67kg Eugene McKeever contested strongly against Georgia’s  Lasha Gurili in the Quarter Finals but came out the wrong side of a unanimous decision.

Olympic Bronze medallist, Aidan Walsh, made his post-Tokyo return to the ring against Uzbekistan’s Turgunboev Kromronbek and came away with a split decision win. He’s now through to the semi-finals and has secured at least a bronze medal.

80kg Kelyn Cassidy was the last Irish boxer between the ropes, facing home boxer, Catalin Florin Serban in the Quarter Final. Serban was giving a standing count in the opening seconds of the first round. Kelyn was the unanimous decision victor, and has won through to the semi finals at at lease a bronze medal.

Of the Irish boxers yet to open their campaigns at the Golden Belt, 48kg Shannon Sweeney meets Spain’s Marta Arbol Lopez in her semi-final, and has secured at least a bronze

60kg Amy Broadhurst has a straight final against home boxer, Pita Daniela and is also assured of a medal.

While at 70kg, Christina Desmond meets Ukraine’s Mariia Siedaia in her opening bout, also at Quarter Final stage.

In the men’s draw, 48kg Ricky Nesbitt will face Ukrainian opposition in the Semi Finals of the competition.

Two Irish boxers are contesting at 63.5kg – Dean Clancy, drawn against Belgium’s Mohamed Boukala, and Brandon McCarthy, opens his account at the tournament at Quarter Finals stage, against Uzbekistan’s Kenaey Shobrunkbek

At 75kg, Ireland’s Gabriel Dossen has a bye to the semi-finals, where he will face either German or Uzbek opposition.



Team Ireland Squad:

Women:

W48kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s, Mayo.

W57kg Jennifer Lehane, DCU, Dublin
W63kg Amy Broadhurst, St. Bronaghs ABC, Rostrevor.

W66kg Gráinne Walsh, Spartacus, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

W70kg Christina Desmond, Dungarvan BC, Waterford/Garda Boxing Club

Men:

48kg Rickey Nesbitt, Holy Family, Drogheda

57kg Adam Hession, Monivea BC, Galway.

63.5kg Brandon McCarthy, St. Michael’s Athy

63.5kg Dean Clancy, Sean McDermott BC, Manorhamilton, Leitrim.

67kg Eugene McKeever, Holy Family, Drogheda

71kg Aidan Walsh, Emerald , Belfast

75kg Gabriel Dossen, Olympic, Galway.

80kg Kelyn Cassidy, Saviours Crystal BC, Waterford.

Coaches: Dmitrij Dmitruk, Eoin Pluck, Igor Khmil

Physio: Robert Tuomey

R&J: Sean Duffy

Tournament Schedule:

April 4^th: Preliminaries

April 5^th: Preliminaries

April 6^th: Women’s Semi Finals

April 7^th: Men’s Semi Finals

April 8^th: Women’s Finals

April 9^th: Men’s Finals.

Draws are available here

Day One session results are here

Day Two session results:

Day Three, afternoon session:

Day Three, evening session:

Team Ireland claimed two wins on the opening day of the Golden Belt-Nicolae Linca Tournament in Targu Mures, Romania.

First between the ropes for Team Ireland was 57kg Jennifer Lehane, who recorded a unanimous decision win over Ukraine’s Svitlana Umanska, in a bout she dominated from the first bell. Jennifer is now through to the semi finals. She’ll take on Spain’s Jenifer Romero Fernandez for the chance to upgrade her bronze. That bout takes place on Thursday.

Also facing Ukrainian opposition today was 80kg, Kelyn Cassidy, who was similarly dominant in his meeting with Bogdan’s Tolmachov, recording a 5-0 win. Keyln now advances to the Quarter finals.

Today’s bouts were live-streamed and can be watched back here. The host federation is streaming the competition live on its Facebook page, here

This multi-nation tournament is named after Nicolae Linca, who won Olympic gold for Romania at Melbourne 1956, after edging Ireland’s Fred Tiedt on a split decision in the welterweight final.

Day Two.

The second day of the tournament is a busy one for Team Ireland, with five boxers in action.

Kelyn Cassidy meets home boxer, Catalin Florin Serban in Bout 4 of the evening session.

Gráinne Walsh opens her Golden Belt account at the Quarter Final stage on Wednesday, against Hungary’s Vivien Bodai. That’s the first bout of the day, in the afternoon session.

In bout 3 of the same session, 57kg Adam Hession takes on home boxer, Romania’s Laurentiu Mihai Vaduva in the preliminaries.

In bout 5 of the same session, 67kg Eugene McKeever will contest Georgia’s Lasha Gurili in the Quarter Finals.

Olympic Bronze medallist, Aidan Walsh, will take on against Uzbekistan’s Turgunboev Kromronbek in bout 8

Programme, Afternoon Session

Programme, Evening Session

Of the Irish boxers yet to open their campaigns at the Golden Belt, 48kg Shannon Sweeney meets Spain’s Marta Arbol Lopez in her semi-final.

60kg Amy Broadhurst has a straight final against home boxer, Pita Daniela.

While at 70kg, Christina Desmond meets Ukraine’s Mariia Siedaia in her opening bout, also at Quarter Final stage.

In the men’s draw, 48kg Ricky Nesbitt will face Ukrainian opposition in the Semi Finals of the competition.

Two Irish boxers are contesting at 63.5kg – Dean Clancy, drawn against Belgium’s Mohamed Boukala, and Brandon McCarthy, opens his account at the tournament at Quarter Finals stage, against Uzbekistan’s Kenaey Shobrunkbek

At 75kg, Ireland’s Gabriel Dossen has a bye to the semi-finals, where he will face either German or Uzbek opposition.

Team Ireland Squad:

Women:

W48kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s, Mayo.

W57kg Jennifer Lehane, DCU, Dublin
W63kg Amy Broadhurst, St. Bronaghs ABC, Rostrevor.

W66kg Gráinne Walsh, Spartacus, Tullamore, Co. Offaly
W70kg Christina Desmond, Dungarvan BC, Waterford/Garda Boxing Club

Men:

48kg Rickey Nesbitt, Holy Family, Drogheda

57kg Adam Hession, Monivea BC, Galway.

63.5kg Brandon McCarthy, St. Michael’s Athy

63.5kg Dean Clancy, Sean McDermott BC, Manorhamilton, Leitrim.

67kg Eugene McKeever, Holy Family, Drogheda

71kg Aidan Walsh, Emerald , Belfast

75kg Gabriel Dossen, Olympic, Galway.

80kg Kelyn Cassidy, Saviours Crystal BC, Waterford.

Coaches: Dmitrij Dmitruk, Eoin Pluck, Igor Khmil

Physio: Robert Tuomey

R&J: Sean Duffy

Tournament Schedule:

April 4^th: Preliminaries

April 5^th: Preliminaries

April 6^th: Women’s Semi Finals

April 7^th: Men’s Semi Finals

April 8^th: Women’s Finals

April 9^th: Men’s Finals.

Draws:

Day One session results: