Nine Irish boxers will be back between the ropes battling for Tokyo places when the European qualifiers resume at a date and venue to be confirmed.

The tournament was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic on March 16 after three days of competition at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Irish captain Brendan Irvine booked a ticket for his second successive Olympics in London and will also be in quarter-final action versus Spain’s Gabriel Escobar when the qualifiers recommence.

While Irvine and Escobar – and six other flyweights – have achieved their primary objective of qualifying, medals and ranking points for Tokyo 2021 are still up for grabs in the 52kg class.

George Bates and his St Mary’s BC team-mate Kellie Harrington require top-six finishes to qualify, as do Antrim siblings Michaela and Aidan Walsh, Michael Nevin and Emmet Brennan.

Current European champion Aoife O’Rourke, Dean Gardiner and Kiril Afanasev have to finish in the top four (reach the semi-finals).

Bates is within touching distance of Tokyo 2021 as a victory over Azerbaijan’s Javid Chalabiyev will qualify the Dubliner for the 32nd Olympiad.

Please scroll down for brief profiles of Ireland’s opponents.

(Boxers that require a top-six finish will get two shots at qualifying for Tokyo if they win their last 16 bouts, as they’ll qualify automatically if they win their quarter-finals. However, if they lose in the quarter-finals they’ll box-offs with the other beaten quarter-finalists to complete the top-six placings. Boxers that lost in London will, if selected, get a final shot at qualifying at the World qualifiers in Paris at a date to be confirmed).

Boxers qualified for Tokyo 

Boxing2020 – List of qualified boxers as of March 25

 

Last 16

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

(Top 8 qualify)

A Baku native, Javid Chalabiyev was born on 17/05/1992. The Azeri orthodox represented his country at 56kg at Rio 2016 where he lost his first bout on a split decision. An Islamic Solidarity Games and Great Silk Way champion, he won gold at the 2013 World Elites in Kazakhstan and has boxed 235 bouts in his career.

Last 16

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

(Top 6 qualify)

Wahid Hambli dropped a unanimous decision to Sean McComb at Dublin’s National Stadium in 2017 but beat Wayne Kelly and Italy to finish second in the 69kg class at the Round Robin. Born on the 27/11/1990, he has 123 bouts to his name. He secured double gold at the Bocskai and Strandja multi-nations this year.

Last 16

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

(Top six qualify)

Yerevan-native Arman Darchinyan was born on the 30/4/1994 and has 140 contests on his book. The Armenian middle finished in 7th place at last year’s World Elites. He was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision to Max Van Der Pas (Netherlands) – who Nevin beat in London last month – at the 2017 European Elites.

Last 16

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

(Top six qualify)

Born on the 02/1/1993, Uke Smajli is the current Swiss champion with 132 bouts under his belt. The Zurich-native claimed silver at the Feliks Stamm Memorial last year and has competed at the Chemistry Cup and European Games.

Last 16

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

(Top 4 qualify)

Emanual Reyes was born in Havana on the 14/12/1997 and represented Cuba in the World Series of Boxing. He’s since switched allegiances to Spain and won silver at the Strandja multi-nations this year. The La Coruna-native dropped two decisions to Cuba’s Julio La Cruiz, who edged Joe Ward in two World Elite finals, in his career.

Last 16

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

(Top 4 qualify)

Sofia-born Petar Belberov (17/02/1990) shaded Dean Gardiner on a 3-2 split decision in the 2017 Tammer multi-nations final in Finland. A 2015 European bronze medallist, the Bulgarian has won gold and silver at the Strandja multi nations over the last number of years.

Last 16

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

(Top 6 qualify)

St Patrick’s Day born (1992) Mona Mestian is a two-time European bronze medallist. The French champion has 113 contests to her name and has also medalled at the European Union Championships. She got the nod over Ireland’s Dervla Duffy on a 2-1 split in 2016.

Last 16

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

(Top 6 qualify)

A former (2013) World Youth champion, Aneta Rygielska (born 24/8/1999) lost on a unanimous decision to Harrington at the Strandaj multi-nations in Sofia earlier this year. The Polish orthodox also lost to Amy Broadhurst in the preliminaries of the World Elites in Siberia in 2019.

Last 16

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

(Top 4 qualify)

Viktoriya Kebikava (born 01/9/1985) is a two-time European bronze medallist at light-heavy but has dropped down to middle as the limit is one of the five Olympic weights for women. The Belarussian beat Ireland’s Leona Houlihan en route to bronze at the 2019 World Military Games in China.

(Dates on below draw sheets are from before the European qualifiers for Tokyo in London were postponed on March 16).

 

 

Michaela Walsh

Kellie Harrington

Aoife O’Rourke

Brendan Irvine (qualified)

George Bates

Aidan Walsh

Michael Nevin

Emmet Brennan

Kiril Afanasev

Dean Gardiner

 

European Olympic Qualifiers

Copperbox Arena London 

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)

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

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)

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

Q/Final

(Postponed)

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

Results

March 16

Last 32

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

75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) beat Max Van Der Pas (Netherlands) 4-1

Last 16

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

51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) lost Charley Davison (Team Great Britain) 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 standards 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)

Staff

High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne

Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan, Dmitry Dimitruk

 

 

 

“The IABA Board of Directors at their Teleconference meeting today, praised the Irish boxing family for continuing to obey the Covid-19 restriction and encouraged all clubs to continue complying with the HSE and Government advice until at least the 5^th of  May”.

 

 

The backbeat to Katie Taylor’s intense rivalry with Russia’s Sofya Ochigava began at the 41st Usti Grand Prix in the Czech Republic in 2010.

It ended in the 2012 Olympic lightweight final in London amid a frenetic atmosphere at the ExCel Arena.

Ochigave was adjudged to have won the Usti Grand Prix semi-final 8-1 – despite Taylor finding the target at least three times in the opening 30 seconds under the old computer scoring system – and Russia believed they finally had the women to dethrone the Bray lightweight.

But it proved to be a false dawn as Taylor bounced back to beat Ochigava 10-5 in the 2011 European final in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

And she also beat the Moscow Oblast southpaw 11-7 in the 2012 World final in Qinhuangdao, China.

Both women were on opposite sides of the 60kg draw at London 2012 where women’s boxing made its Olympic debut.

As anticipated, both swept aside all opposition en route to their fourth meeting inside two years in the English capital.

The Olympic final was tight; Taylor, who had her dad Pete and current Irish head coach Zaur Antia in her corner, scoring with her trademark combinations; Ochigava’s backhand a constant threat.

The Russian two-time world champion was 4-3 ahead – the first finished 2-2 – going in the third round, but Ireland’s five-time World titlist won the round 4-1 to take a 7-5 advantage into the final round.

Ochigava, who had thrown in a cheeky Ali shuffle earlier in the fight, went all-in on the front foot in the fourth and anxiety-ridden final frame.

That stanza finished 3-3, and Taylor, after an agonising delay of about 40 seconds was declared the London 2012 women’s 60kg champion on a score of 10-8 from a fight which was basically won and lost in the third round.

The decision bridged the 20-year gap between Michael Carruth’s gold medal win at Barcelona 1992.

John Joe Nevin won silver at London 2012 and Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan double bronze to help Ireland finish in joint 5th spot in the medals table with Kazakhstan.

Taylor’s Bray BC team-mate Adam Nolan and Darren O’Neill recorded one win each at the Games and reached the last 16.

Athens 2004 Olympian Andy Lee, the only Irish boxer besides John Joe Joyce and Paddy Barnes to bow out of the Olympics on a countback, described Taylor’s Olympic gold as unquantifiable for women’s sport in Ireland.

“It’s unquantifiable, the effect that she has had on young girls. Not just in Ireland but all over the world, that if they work hard and believe in themselves, that they can go on and achieve their goals, just like she has done,” he said.

The London 2012 victory is quantifiable in one respect, however, as the Girls 1,2,3,4,5,6 Championships is now one of the biggest tournaments on the IABA domestic calendar.

There are no prizes for guessing who the vast majority of young female prospects cite as their main inspiration.

 

Over 60 medals have been claimed by Ireland’s boxers in almost a century of European Elite male and female boxing.

The inaugural European Male Elites were hosted in Stockholm, Sweden in 1925 and the 1st European Women’s Elites in Saint-Amada Les-Eaux, France in 2001.

Dublin’s National Stadium has played its part in the 95-year history of the Continentals, as the venue was used for the last Europeans before WW2 in 1939, the year the Stadium opened, and the first  Europeans after WW2 in 1947.

The home of Irish boxing is the only venue to host the tournament successively.

Ireland first entered the Europeans in Milan in 1937 with Ernie Smith, James Healy, Frank Kerr, Charles Evenden and (?) Lydon lining out for the boys in green. None of the squad got past the quarter-finals.

Katie Taylor is Ireland most prolific European medalists after claiming six titles on the bounce between 2005 and 2014 but her debut at this level ended in defeat to Russia’s World lightweight champion Yulia Nemtsova in Riccione, Italy in 2004.

Joe Ward is Ireland’s most prolific male boxer having won three gold medals. Ward and Jimmy Ingle, who won gold in 1939, were both just 17 when they topped their respective podiums.

Ingle and Paddy Dowdall were the first Irish boxers to be crowned European champion 81 years ago and Aoife O’Rourke and Kurt Walker the last in 2019.

Ireland secured four medals – courtesy of double gold for John Joe Nevin and Jason Quigley and double silver for Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan – to finish second in the medals table behind Russia in 2013  in Minsk, Belarus.

Barnes had to pull out of his final because on an injury sustained in the last four and Joe Ward, the defending light-heavy champion, twisted his knee in the preliminaries in Minsk. If both men hadn’t been injured, Ireland would probably have commanded No. 1 spot in the medals table that year.

Irish female boxing lies in 8th position in the all-time European medals table and male boxing in 11th place (tables have to be updated to take into account the most recent medals).

Overall, Ireland’s boxers have claimed 65 European Elite medals since 1925. Twenty-one of those medals are gold.

IRELAND AT 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

The 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
74kg Aoife O’Rourke Gold
60kg Amy Broadhurst Silver

 

 

 

 

 

The IABA lauded its stars of 2019 at its Annual Awards Dinner at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel in Dublin in late January this year.

IABA ANNUAL AWARDS 2020

Ireland’s boxers, from Elite to Schoolboy/girl, claimed 40 medals in European (Championship) competition last year and finished in top ten positions in the medals table in all Continental competitions entered.

Domestically, two Elite Championships were completed in February and November and Ireland’s top underage prospects shone on the national stage.

“Our athletes performed magnificently in international competition in 2019 and congratulations to the boxers, their clubs and coaches and all concerned for a  tremendously successful year,” said IABA President Dominic O’Rourke.

“Here at home we also had a busy year with two National Elite Championships to prepare for the qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 and our various other National Championships where we saw top-class talent emerging.”

 

Some of the great stalwarts of the sport were also honoured last evening.

Sean Crowley, a former Secretary of the Association, was inducted into the IABA Hall of Fame for his outstanding service to the sport.

“Sean has given tremendous service for many years, and he thoroughly deserves this award as one of the great servants of Irish boxing,” Dominic O’Rourke added.

Michael O’Brien, President of the Cork County Boxing Board, was the MC for the evening and did another outstanding job as Master of Ceremonies.

Please scroll down for more pictures.

(Images courtesy of Paddy Gallagher and Tara Mari Robins)