54 titles have been claimed by Irish boxers so far this year, with two National Championships completed and hundreds of contests decided at the National Stadium in January and February.

11 males = 50% and 11 females = 50% took home titles from the National U/18s in an even split between genders.

18 males = 56.3% and 14 females = 43.7% secured gold medals at the National Senior Cadets.

Overall, 29 titles have been won by males (53.7%) and 25 by females (46.3%) this year.

305 bouts were completed at the 2020 National U/18s and National Senior Cadets.

IRISH CHAMPIONS 2020

2020 National U/18 Champions (January)

Click here for full results

W42kg Chloe Blake (Ardagh/Crossmolina)
W46kg Nicole Buckley (St Carthages)
46kg Bryce Collins (East Down)
W48kg Breda Quilligan (Rathkeale)
49kg Dylan Eagleson (St Pauls Antrim)
W51kg Rachel Lawless (Portlaoise)
52kg Jake Rapple (Monkstown Dublin)
W54kg Niamh Fay (Swords)
56kg Martin Brady-McCullough (Gleann)
W57kg: Doireann Coogan (Marble City)
W60kg Ellie Mai-Gartland (Clonmel)
60kg John McConnell (Holy Trinity)
W64kg Leanne Murphy (Togher)
64kg Matthew Tyndall (Dublin Docklands)
W69kg Leah Gallen (Raphoe)
69kg James Whelan (Dublin Docklands)
W75kg Lisa O’Rourke (Castlerea)
75kg Patrick Lawlor (Brian Dillons)
W81kg Bethany Doocey (Castlebar)
81kg Jason Myers (Titans)
91kg Jack Marley (Monkstown Dublin)
91+kg Patrick Myers (Sligo City)

2020 National Senior Cadet Champions (February)

Click here for full results.

31kg Karl O’Reilly (Immaculata)
36kg Patsy Joyce (Olympic Mullingar)
39kg Ashton Ruth (Avona)
42kg Paddy Cleary (Olympic Galway)
W44kg Caoimhe Kinsella (St Anthonys/Pats)
44kg Michael Nugent (Olympic Mullingar)
W46kg Esther Lambe (Setanta L)
46kg Gavin Ryan (Ratoath)
W48kg Katie O’Keefe (Kanturk)
48kg Anton Genocky (Docklands)
W50kg Robyn Kelly (Ballynacargy)
50kg John Donoghue (St Michaels Athy)
W52kg Holly Connolly (Ballaghaderreen)
52kg Michael Faulkner (Togher)
W54kg Shakira Donoghue (Templemore)
54kg Raymond Joyce (Clonmel)
W57kg Yasmin Meridith (Corinthians)
57kg Jason Nevin (Olympic Mullingar)
W60kg Alisha King (Drimnagh)
60kg James Donovan (Monkstown Dublin)
W63kg Winnie McDonagh (Neilstown)
63kg Bobbi Flood (Cabra)
66kg John Fay (Swords)
W66kg Laura Moran (St Annes)
W70kg Aine Doyle (St Marys NR)
70kg Joshua Olaniyan (Jobstown)
W75kg Dearbhla Tinnelly (Clann Naofa)
75kg Tyler Meade (Hyland BA)
W80kg Brianna Ryan (Setanta L)
80kg Joseph Hutchinson (Neilstown)
W80+kg Nasya Mc Jyn-Igelige (Clann Naofa)
80+kg Bernard Cawley (St Davids)

 

Following a meeting of the Officer Board of the IABA on Saturday, September 5, clubs can now return to contact training which includes sparring and pads

However, boxers must remain in the same pod.

Upcoming Fixtures:

1. Youths Competition (2002, 2003) – Box October Fri 2nd, Sat 3rd, Mon 5th, Wed 7th, Fri 9th, Sat 10th (days as required depending on draws).

Pre-entry will be online and must be completed before 2pm on Wednesday 23rd September with the draw taking place on Friday 25th.

Clubs who have not applied to return (Covid-19 Club Declaration form) cannot enter.

Times for boxing to be confirmed. €20 entry fee.Boxers weigh-in each day they box and must be available to box on any of the days mentioned above.

2. Junior Competition (2005, 2004) – Box October Fri 16th, Sat 17th, Sun 18th, Fri 23rd, Sat 24th, Sun 25th, Fri 30th and Sat 31st (days as required depending on the draws).

Pre-entry by 2pm on Wednesday 7th Oct with draw on Friday 9th. Entry fee €20. Boxers weigh in each day they box and must be available to box on any of the days mentioned above.

3. U-22 Championships – Box Fri Nov 6th, Sat 7th, Sun 8th, Fri 13th, Sat 14th, Sun 15th, Fri 20th, Sat 21st.

Pre entry by Wed 28th October, draw Friday 30th. Entry €20.

Boxers weigh-in each day they box and must be available to box on any of the days mentioned above.

4. Boy/Girl 1, 2, 3 – Box November Fri 27th, Sat 28th, Sun 29th. December Fri 4th, Sat 5th, Sun 6th, Fri 11th and Sat 12th.

Entry by the Units for Wednesday 18th Nov, draw Friday 20th Nov. Entry fee €10.

Boxers weigh-in on their first day of boxing and on the day of their finals.

5. Elites – Box January Mon 11th, Tue 12th, Wed 13th, Thu 14th and Fri 15th.

Pre-entry by Wednesday 6th Jan. Draw Friday 8th Jan. Entry fee €30.

6. National Youth Competition (for 2020 Youths 2002/2003) – Box February Friday 5th, Saturday 6th, Sunday 7th, Friday 12th, Saturday 13th, Sunday 14th, Friday 19th and Saturday 20th February.

Pre-entry by Wednesday 27th January. Draw Friday 29th January.

Regards,

Paddy Gallagher

National Secretary IABA

The COVID-19 Club Resilience Funding is part of a programme from the Government of Ireland, implemented through Sport Ireland and National Governing Bodies to support the sports sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. This scheme is designed to support Sports Clubs who find themselves in need of assistance to avoid closing. Applications must be completed and submitted prior to the 7th September 2020. Submission of applications is done via survey link below, ensure you have clicked submit at the end of the application. Funding applications are submitted to Sport Ireland by September 14^th and funding is expected to be distributed by October 2020.

This grant would cover costs associated with reopening of clubs.  The club grant scheme is designed and intended to support return to sporting activities only. These funds are not aimed to replace lost income from ancillary activities such as hospitality, sub-letting facilities or other non-sporting commercial activity.

This scheme does not apply to clubs in NI however, other schemes are available in NI for our clubs and if you are unsure you can contact the IABA office in House of Sport 0044 28 9038 1222

The scheme will be based on identified needs. Sport Ireland and the IABA will work together to ensure that the investment is distributed fairly.

We collect the personal data in the application for one or more specific purposes, based on public authority to our statutory duties.

The purposes and reasons for processing your personal data are detailed below:

•            Identifying and evaluating clubs that apply for funding

•            Organisation overview and governance

•            Conducting compliance checks

•            Recording and communicating the activities of our organisation and other organisations to stakeholders

•            Facilitating future contact with relevant stakeholders

•            In order to comply with a legal obligation

We do not share or disclose any of your personal information without your consent, other than for the purposes specified or where there is a legal requirement. The minimum amount of personal information is shared with Sport Ireland.

The information above should be read in conjunction with the privacy statement on the IABA website http://iaba.ie/club-zone/data-protection-gdpr/privacy-statement-iaba/

Club Resilience Fund Application: https://kwiksurveys.com/s/JuHt5WIC

Melbourne 1956

Irish boxing took home its greatest ever haul of Olympic medals – a haul which was later, as in over half a century later, matched at London 2012 and surpassed in terms of the quality of the medals (one gold, one silver and two bronze) – from the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne – but once again Ireland was denied gold following a controversial split decision.

Fred Tiedt, John Caldwell, Freddie and Tony Byrne claimed one silver and three bronze medals Down Under.

Dublin-born Tiedt, boxing in the welterweight class, went all the way to the final but was on a receiving end of a highly controversial split decision reversal to Nicolae Linca of Romania.

Linca was awarded a 3-2 verdict amid hoots of derision at the West Melbourne Stadium. Even the official Olympic dispatch specifically mentioned the 1956 welterweight final.

It read: “Probably the most unlucky boxer was Tiedt (Ireland) who lost a close final to Linca (Romania) after he had come through three very hard fights in his division against Aeleskra (Poland), Lane (USA) and Hogarth (Australia).”

But despite the protests, Tiedt, a great stalwart of the Trinity College Boxing Club, had to settle for silver.

Meanwhile, Belfast’s Freddie Gilroy found himself under the spotlight because of politics.

The 1956 Games took place amid the backdrop of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Hungary and any contest between a boxer from the “West” and the USSR was attracting the attention of the media.

Gilroy, of the St John Bosco BC, was in against Boris Stepanov of the USSR and provoked an international sensation after flooring his opponent in the third.

“He was a hot favourite to lift the gold, but I caught him with a sweet left hook in the third round and I knew he was not getting back up,” said Gilroy, who went on the beat Italy’s Mario Sitri in the quarter-finals – a win that secured at least bronze – before losing to Germany’s Wolfgang Behrendt, the eventual gold medallist, in the semi-finals.

Belfast flyweight Caldwell also took the early route to victory in his opening bout, a third-round KO of Wi Yaishwe of Burma setting up a quarter-final with Warner Bachelor of Australia, which the Immaculata BC man won to guarantee Ireland at least another bronze. He then lost out to Mircea Dobrescu of Romania for a place in the final.

“I was so overjoyed to be representing Ireland and wearing the green vest on such a stage. Just being there at such a young age was something special and I still find it hard to explain that feeling, “said Caldwell, who, at 18, was the youngest member of the Irish 1956 boxing squad.. Caldwell turned professional in 1958 and won the World bantamweight title in London.

Drogheda’s Tony “Socks” Byrne also claimed bronze in Melbourne. The Ireland team captain, who carried the Irish flag in Melbourne, beat Josef Chovanec of Czechoslovakia and Louis Molina (USA) before losing to German lightweight Harry Kurschat in his semi-final.

On the same day, December 1st, 1956, that Tiedt was controversially beaten by Linca, Ronnie Delaney left the rest of the world in his slipstream to claim 1500m gold at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, setting a new Olympic record in the process.

The Irish Olympic 1956 Olympic team arrived home through Shannon Airport in early December with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Martin Smyth, Harry Perry and Patrick “Pa” Sharkey, who was living in Australia, lost their first bouts in Melbourne, with Smyth losing to Finland’s Pentti Hamalainen, who beat John McNally in the 1952 Olympic final.

The USSR finished on top of the medals table in the boxing event at the 1956 Games. Ireland finished in 7th position. The 1956 Games marked the first Olympic in which Ireland won more bouts (9) than it lost (6)

(Image, Fred Tiedt)

Flyweight: Johnny Caldwell (Immaculata) – Bronze

Beat Wi Yaishwe (Burma) KO3
Beat Warner Batchelor (Australia) 3-0
Lost to Mircea Dobrescu (Romania) 0-3

Bantamweight: Freddie Gilroy (St John Bosco) – Bronze

Beat Boris Stepanov (USSR) KO3
Beat Mario Sitri (Italy) 3-0
Lost to eventual gold medallist Wolfgang Behrendt (Germany) 0-3

Featherweight Martin Smyth (Star)
Lost to Pentti Hamalainen (Finland KO2

Lightweight: Tony Byrne (Tredagh) – Bronze

Beat Josef Chovanec (Czechoslovakia) DQ3
Beat Louis Molina (USA) 3-0
Lost to Harry Kurschat (Germany) 0-3

Light-welterweight: Harry Perry (British Rail)
Lost to Claude Saluden (France) 0-3

Welterweight: Fred Tiedt (South City) – Silver

Beat Tadeusz Walasek (Poland) 3-0
Beat Pearce Lane (USA) 3-0
Beat Kevin Hogarth (Australia) 3-0
Lost to Nicolae Linca (Romania) 2-3

Heavyweight: Paddy Sharkey (Sydney)
Lost to Thorner Ahsman (Sweden) KO3

Former Irish coach Dan O’Connell was recently honoured for decades of services to boxing in his native Cork.

Click here for Cork Echo article.

Michael O’Brien, President of the Cork Board, described O’Connell as an inspirational figure.