The Rebel County recently rolled out the red carpet to acclaim top international referee John Casey.

Click here for Echo report of proceedings at Cork City Hall.

A synopsis from the Central Council meeting, Saturday 25th July 2020, at the Ringside Club adjacent to the National Stadium

(Main image: Saturday’s Central Council meeting)

Anti-Doping: #BoxClean

Dr.Martin Garvey gave a brief talk about Covid-19 to all present. He said he is willing to hold seminars around the country if requested. Only Munster and Leinster have availed thus far.

The President Dominic O’Rourke spoke of grant money which may be made available this coming Tuesday. If the government releases this money, another Central Council meeting will take place next Saturday to discuss the next steps.

All clubs hoping to return must complete all the protocols laid down by the IABA (see below protocols) and then forward on their Covid-19 Club Declaration form with all named Covid-19 Officers and a club committee member to paddy@iaba.ie and info@iaba.ie Without these forms being returned, no club is allowed to reopen and they will also not be covered by insurance.

The Connacht Council had created a Risk Assessment template for the structure and organisation of potential provincial championships in their unit during Covid-19. The President praised the work of all involved in creating the document and asked for feedback from members on it.

The President made it very clear that clubs were not allowed to spar or to do pads with boxers.

Finances for boxing were down due to poor attendance, at Elite Championships in particular, and a poor uptake in the season tickets and in the special club offers available for attending championships in the stadium.

The President said that there will be no Championships until all the 6 Units are back. The President said we will have to await HSE clearance before announcing anything further.

Regards,

Paddy Gallagher

National Secretary

Return to Boxing Protocols

1. Boxing Clubs MUST appoint an assigned COVID-19 Officer(s)
2. Boxing Clubs MUST appoint a COVID-19 Committee
3. Boxing Clubs MUST complete the Covid-19 club Risk Assessment
4. Boxing Clubs MUST ensure all members have completed and signed the Members Covid-19 Declaration form. For under 18 years of age boxers, this must also be signed by their parent/guardian.

This form must be kept for 12 months in a digital file which is password protected. After 12 months, the digital file should be deleted. This is the responsibility of the Covid Officer.

5. Boxing Clubs MUST ensure a Members Questionnaire is completed by all persons, every time, prior to attending the club

The Covid Officer will keep this information stored on a password protected digital file for 15 days after which time it shall be deleted.

6. Boxing Clubs MUST ensure that a contact tracing register is kept

This form must be kept for 1 month in a digital file which is password protected. After 1 month, the digital file should be deleted. This is the responsibility of the Covid Officer.

7. Boxing Clubs MUST ensure that the contact details for all members are up to date as this will assist with contact tracing should it be necessary. For all boxers under 18 years, a parent/guardians number is kept.
8. Boxing Clubs MUST ensure that sufficient HSE and/or NHS Covid-19 information posters are in place

Only when all of the above are in place and the persons responsible for club activities are up to date with all Covid-19 return to sport guidelines as issued by the IABA while also keeping themselves informed of the latest HSE/NHS guidelines, can the club look to reopen. This is achieved by completing the Club Covid-19 Declaration form.

· Ensure that the Club Covid-19 Declaration form is completed and returned to info@iaba.ie and paddy@iaba.ie If a number of certified Covid-19 Officers are in your club, they should all sign and date the Club Covid-19 Declaration form before a copy of that form is returned.

Check out Strefa amateur boxing for all your amateur boxing results.

The site, a one-stop global content provider, publishes results from all over the world.

All Olympic, World, Continental, Multi-National and National results are available.

Click here for Irish results.

Meanwhile, whilst being primarily a professional boxing site, boxrec is now publishing amateur boxing profiles.

Click names for profiles of Kellie Harrington and Kurt Walker.

Google name of boxer and boxrec for profiles.

Michaela Walsh is looking forward to the resumption of the European qualifiers for Tokyo next February and March because she has some unfinished business.

The Belfast feather, whose brother Aidan is also part of the Irish Elite squad, was due to have her first bout at the European qualifiers on St Patrick’s Day last.

But the tournament was postponed on March 16 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Irish captain Brendan Irvine having qualified earlier that evening.

Walsh, who requires a top-six finish to book a ticket for the 32nd Olympiad, was scheduled to meet France’s Mona Mestian in the last 16 on March 17.

If the European medalist had won that bout she would have got two shots at qualifying as the winners of the quarter-finals are through and those that lose in the quarter-finals go into a box-off to decide the top six.

“Going home after the qualifier was cancelled, for me, it felt like I’d been beat. Even though I didn’t fight, I felt like I’d been beat, Walsh told the Irish News.

“Everything, all our training was geared towards the qualifiers. I was two fights away from qualifying for the Olympics. There was talk of them being
rescheduled for three weeks later.

“I thought I’d have to go back and reset, but eventually, it was announced that the Olympics had been postponed until next year.”

Meanwhile, the World qualifiers for Tokyo will be decided next May and June at a host city to be confirmed.

European Qualifiers for Tokyo 2020

Copperbox Arena London March 13/24

(Tournament was postponed on March 16 because of the coronavirus outbreak)

March 17

Last 16

(Postponed)

57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) v Mona Mestian (France)

60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) v Aneta Rygielska (Poland)

63kg George Bates (Ireland) v Javid Chalabiyev (Azerbaijan)

75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) v Viktoriya Kebikava (Belarus)

75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) v Arman Darchinyan (Armenia)

81kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) v Uke Smajli (Switzerland)

91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) v Emanual Reyes (Spain)

March 18

Last 16

(Postponed)

69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) v Wahid Hambli (France)

91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) v Petar Belberov (Bulgaria)

March 19

Q/Final

(Postponed)

52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) v Gabriel Escobar (Spain)

Results

March 16

Last 32

69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Pavel Kamanin (Spain) 5-0

75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) beat Max der van Pas (Netherlands) 4-1

Last 16

52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat Istavan Szaka (Hungary) 5-0

51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) lost to Charley Davison (Team GB) 0-5

57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) lost to Hamsat Shadolov (Germany) 0-5

March 15

Last 32

63kg George Bates (Ireland) beat Leon Dominguez (Spain) RSCI1

81kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) beat Radenko Tomic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) RSC2

91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) beat Begadze Nikoloz (Georgia) 4-1

Last 16

69kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) lost to Angela Carina (Italy) 0-5

Irish squad

(Olympic qualification standard in brackets)

Male

52kg Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s, Antrim) Cpt (Top 8) (qualified)

57kg Kurt Walker (Canal, Antrim) (Top 8)

63kg George Bates (St Mary’s, Dublin) (Top 8)

69kg Aidan Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim) (Top 6)

75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise, Laois) (Top 6)

81kg Emmet Brennan (Dublin Docklands) (Top 6)

91kg Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield, Dublin) (Top 4)

91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel, Tipperary) (Top 4)

Female

51kg Carly McNaul (Ormeau Road, Belfast) (Top 6)

57kg Michaela Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim) (Top 6)

60kg Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s, Dublin) (Top 6)

69kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgan’s, Cork, Garda BC) (Top 5)

75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea, Roscommon) (Top 4)

High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne

Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan, Dmitry Dimitruk

Most of the world’s top boxing tournaments have been either cancelled or postponed this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Usually, at this time of the year, Irish boxing would be beginning to tot up the medals won in World/European competition.

But the international and domestic fixtures list has been shredded because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The first tournament to go was the European qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 (which have now been postponed until 2021) after three days of competition in London on March 16 last.

There was some cheer for Irish boxing, however, as Irish captain Brendan Irvine booked a ticket for his second successive Olympiad after reaching the quarter-finals in the English capital.

The European qualifiers will resume where they finished in February and March next year at a host city to be confirmed, while the World qualifiers will be decided in May/June 2021, also at a host city to be confirmed.

Ten Irish boxers will still be in play when the European campaign recommences.

Last year Irish boxing won almost forty medals at all levels of European competition.

Please scroll down for a list of some of the major postponed tournaments in 2020.

Men’s and Women’s AIBA World Youth Championships November 2/9 (Postponed until April 2021)

2020 Olympic Games Tokyo July/August (Postponed until July/August 2021)

European Men’s and Women’s Youth Championships, Budva, Montenegro May 15/27 (Postponed)

European Schoolboy/Girls Championships Belfast June 30/July 10 (Postponed)

European Men’s and Women’s Junior Championships Tbilisi, Georgia July 14/25 (Postponed)

European Men’s and Women’s U/22 Championships, Sardinia, Italy September 23/October 4 (Postponed)