“The biggest realisation of the challenge ahead was when the qualifiers for the Olympic Games in London were closed down mid-session. It quickly became apparent as governments across Europe announced plans to lock down that the Games themselves were now in jeopardy,” IABA CEO Fergal Carruth told the Irish Examiner.
Click here for the full interview.
Tipperary heavyweight Con Sheehan convincingly beat Olympic champion Tony Yoka in Cork in on May 3, 2013.
But Yoka, the Rio 2016 gold medallist, beat the Clonmel BC man in Dublin two days later in an Ireland versus France double header.
Ireland recorded a 10-0 shut out victory over Les Bleus at the Rochestown Park Hotel.
Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin, Sean McComb, David Oliver Joyce, Adam Nolan, Jason Quigley, Joe Ward, Jimmy Sweeney and Sheehan had their hands raised in victory in the Rebel County.
Barnes, Conlan, Joyce, Nolan and Quigley won again at the Stadium 48 hours later with Ireland winning 5-3 in the second leg to record a 15-3 aggregate victory.
Sheehan beat Yoka 15-6 on Leeside under the old computer scoring system with Yoka earning a 19-8 win at IABA headquarters.
Click here for results.
(Images: Ireland v France in Cork)
Orlagh Farmer probably spoke for all sports when she summed up her feelings following her last training session before the lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I will never, ever complain about a training session again. That would be the last time we’d see each other for a few months,” said the Cork footballer.
Farmer claimed the Irish Times Sportswoman of the Month Award for May.
Dublin lightweight Kellie Harrington, a previous winner of the yearly award, won the Irish Times 2019/2020 Sportswoman of the month accolade for April.
The awards run over 12 months with an annual awards ceremony each December
Previous monthly winners
(awards run from December 2019 to November 2020, inclusive)
December: Fionnuala McCormack (Athletics)
January: Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal (Cycling)
February: Rachael Blackmore (Horse racing)
March: Diane Caldwell (Soccer)
April: Kellie Harrington (Boxing)
May: Orlagh Farmer (Gaelic football)
Irish Elite champion and Olympian Mick Dowling recalls that he once won a Kilkenny 4st title when he began boxing.
And he admitted that if he had a choice between watching Mike Tyson boxing or a Kilkenny versus Tipp hurling match he’d opt for the clash of the ash.
See below link for Dublin/DCC Starbox interview with Ed Griffin.
Irish boxing has won 65 medals since entering the European Elite Championships for the first time at Milan 1937.
The count is 21 gold, 7 silver and 37 bronze.
Katie Taylor (six gold) and Joe Ward (three gold) are the only Irish boxers to claim more than one European title.
Taylor held the 60kg belt for nine years between 2005 and 2014.
The Irish men’s team finished in 2nd spot in the medals table at the 1939,2010,2013 and 2015 Europeans and in 3rd spot at the 2011 edition of the tournament.
And Aoife O’Rourke is the only Irish female boxer beside Taylor to top a podium at this level.
Taylor, Ward, O’Rourke, Jimmy Ingle, Paddy Dowdall, Gearoid O’Colmain, Maxie McCullough, Paul Griffin, Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, Jason Quigley, Ray Moylette, John Joe Nevin and Kurt Walker are Ireland European Elite champions.
The first edition of the men’s tournament was hosted in Sweden in 1925 and the inaugural women’s competition in France in 2001.
(Above image: Paddy Barnes, John Joe Nevin, Jason Quigley and Michael Conlan at 2013 Europeans in Minsk, Belarus. All four claimed medals after reaching their respective finals).
EUROPEAN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS
National Stadium Dublin 1939
51kg Jimmy Ingle Gold
57kg Paddy Dowdall Gold
69kg Charles Evenden Bronze
National Stadium Dublin 1947
91kg Gearoid O’Colmain Gold
57kg Peter McGuire Silver
1949 Norway
60kg Maxie McCullough Gold
57kg Dave Connell Bronze
1951 Italy
54kg William Kelly Silver
60kg Dave Connell Bronze
64kg Terry Milligan Bronze
1953 Poland
64kg Terry Milligan Silver
54kg John McNally Bronze
Czech Republic 1957
69kg Fred Tiedt Bronze
1959 Switzerland
51kg Adam McClean Bronze
69kg Harry Perry Bronze
75kg Colm McCoy Bronze
1965 West Germany
60kg Jim McCourt Bronze
1969 Romania
54kg Mick Dowling Bronze
1971 Spain
52kg Neil McLoughlin Bronze
57kg Brendan McCarthy Bronze
54kg Mick Dowling Bronze
1977 East Germany
49kg Phil Sutcliffe Bronze
1979 West Germany
54kg Phil Sutcliffe Bronze
1981 Finland
49kg Gerry Hawkins Bronze
1983 Bulgaria
69kg Kieran Joyce Bronze
1985 Hungary
51kg Sean Casey Bronze
1991 Sweden
57kg Paul Griffin Gold
1993 Turkey
57kg Paul Griffin Bronze
1996 Denmark
51kg Damaen Kelly Bronze
1998 Belarus
75kg Brian Magee Silver
2004 Croatia
75kg Andy Lee Bronze
2005 Norway
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
2006 Poland
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
2007 Denmark
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
2006 Bulgaria
81kg Ken Egan Bronze
2008 England
60kg Ross Hickey Bronze
64kg John Joe Joyce Bronze
75kg Eamonn O’Kane Bronze
2009 Ukraine
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
2010 Russia
49kg Paddy Barnes Gold
75kg Darren O’Neill Silver
57kg Tyrone McCullough Bronze
60kg Eric Donovan Bronze
81kg Ken Egan Bronze
2011 Netherlands
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
2011 Turkey
64kg Ray Moylette Gold
81kg Joe Ward Gold
2013 Belarus
56kg John Joe Nevin Gold
75kg Jason Quigley Gold
49kg Paddy Barnes Silver
52kg Michael Conlan Silver
2014 Romania
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
69kg Claire Grace Bronze
2015 Turkey
56kg Michael Conlan Gold
81kg Joe Ward Gold
64kg Dean Walsh Bronze
2016 Bulgaria
75kg Christina Desmond Bronze
2017 Ukraine
81kg Joe Ward Gold
52kg Brendan Irvine Bronze
56kg Kurt Walker Bronze
2019 Belarus
56kg Kurt Walker Gold
49kg Regan Buckley Bronze
75kg Michael Nevin Bronze
2019 Spain
75kg Aoife O’Rourke Gold
60kg Amy Broadhurst Bronze