Monkstown Boxing Club hosted what has become the biggest boxing tournament in the world earlier this month with an incredible 840 boxers weighing in at Loughlinstown Leisure Centre to take part in the Monkstown International Box Cup.

The contest is aimed at boxers aged between ten and 19, and run entirely by volunteers.

It continues to attract competitors from across the globe: while planned attendance by teams from India and Sierra Leone didn’t materialise in 2018 for visa and financial reasons, strong teams from the US, Canada. Russia, Ukraine and plenty of other European neighbours gave the cup serious international weight.

“The overall quality of boxing was the best we’ve ever seen,” Monkstown Boxing Club’s JP Kinsella said after the weekend. “People were calling it the ‘mini World Championships’. 19 countries were represented, and Loughlinstown was just packed. We had more than 2,500 spectators watching the five rings at any one time.”

The American team came out on top, taking 11 titles, and also the overall club winners title in the process. They faced fierce competition from local boxers from Crumlin Boxing Club (who took nine titles), and Blackpool’s visiting Sharpstyle Boxing Club (who took seven). Monkstown Boxing Club took six titles of their own, despite the absence of four Irish Champions from the host’s team.

 

There were also overall awards given to boxers across various categories. Jack Turner of Croxteth ABC Liverpool took the men’s overall title having beaten English and Irish champions and then a fantastic American boxer to win his age/ weight-based category.

The junior men’s title was taken by thirteen-year-old Thomas Varey, from Sharpstyle ABC Blackpool, whose outstanding skill particularly impressed judges as he saw off two opponents comfortably.

In the women’s tournament, Abbey McKay from Salisbury Boxing Club in Liverpool took the senior overall award, having beaten an English and an Irish Champion on the way to winning her weight category.

The junior women’s overall title was taken by Monkstown’s own Aliyah Flood, whose no-nonsense, action-packed style lead to two powerful first round stoppages. “She hits so hard for her size,” Kinsella explained.

The competition was an impressive feat of organisation, which saw all 840 boxers weighed in within half an hour of showing up at Loughlinstown Leisure Centre on the Friday, and hours of consecutive bouts running to plan.

A number of fantastic side stories have grown out of the competition: Ballybrack Boxing Club, for example, hosted three international teams for free, sleeping on the floor of their clubhouse.

Young boxers, aged nine and ten, also took part in highly-popular ‘skills bouts’, contests that had no official victor (official decisions come from age eleven up), but helped prepare the various youngsters for future years.

“If we had the space, we could easily go to eight rings,” Kinsella tells us. “You’d be looking at the RDS or somewhere like that.

“Last year, we made a bit of money and subsidised a trip for our boxers, but it’s become more expensive to run, and we want to keep the entry fee down.

“It was an amazing experience. Very tough, but amazing. The volunteers, 40 odd of them, really care about what’s going on.

“The judges and referees were incredible. It’s just a huge collaboration, everyone contributing and no big egos.

 

“Global Medics, the Lough Inn Pub, who provided lots of the food for 55 Officials each day and an affordable menu for all spectators, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the Irish Amataur Boxing Association were all vital to what we did over the weekend.

If you get something like this wrong, it could be a nightmare, but it was just amazing,” Kinsella concludes.

Running concurrently within the Box Cup was an AIBA 2 Star R&J Course – which was a huge addition. The committee want to wish all attendees the very best in their upcoming results and we hope too see them all again soon.

Please scroll down for the semi-final line ups at the National U/18 Men’s and Women’s Championships.

Boxing resumes next Friday evening at the National Stadium.

Boxers only weigh-in again on the day of their finals on July 27.

Twelve bouts were decided on the opening day of the tournament last Friday.

Irish amateur boxing is proudly sponsored by Liffey Crane

National U/18 Men’s and Women’s Championships

Friday July 20

S/Finals (6.30pm)

52kg Terry Donoghue (St Michaels Athy) V Michael Agnew (Lisburn)
52kg John Cowman (St Pauls Waterford) V Danny Duffy (Immaculata Strabane)
W54kg Courtney McCrudden (Emerald A) V Megan Coleman (Baldoyle)
W54kg Mary Kate Nevin (St Brigids E) V Catherine Blaney (Navan)
56kg Oisin Lally (Geesala) V Killian Geraghty (Crumlin)
56kg Paul Loonam (St Carthages) V Brandon McCarthy (St Michaels Athy)
60kg James Power (Legacy) V Eddie Corcoran (Cloghan)
60kg David Oliver Joyce (Ballymun)  V Barry McReynolds (Holy Trinity)
64kg Eric Byrne (Sacred Heart Dublin) V Jamie Murphy (Ballybrack)
64kg Bernard Corcoran (Carrickmore) V Callum Walsh (Riverstown)
69kg David McDonagh (Mullingar Elite) V Edward Donovan (O.L.O.L.)
69kg Christian Preston (Dublin Docklands) V Rokas Boltrzakainis (Clane)
75kg Adam Matthews (Monkstown D) V Jake Tucker (Holy Family GG)
75kg Dylan Caldwell (Crumlin) V Martin Sweeney (Westside)
81kg Jack Lowlor (Thurles) V Eghosa Igharo (Clann Naofa)
81kg Kane Tucker (Holy Family GG) V Francis O’Donnell (Ballymun)

Friday July 27

Finals (6.30pm)

W48kg Ciara Walsh (Smithfield) V Daina Moorehouse (Enniskerry)

49kg Jude Gallagher (Two Castles) V Adam Hession (Monivea)

W51kg Caitlin Fryers (Immaculata) V Jessica Clarke (Carndonagh)

52kg Winner V Winner

W54kg Winner V Winner

56kg Winner V Winner

W57kg Aoibhe Ginty (Geesala) V Zara Breslin (Tramore)

W60kg Shauna O’Callaghan (Clann Naofa) V Marguerita Nevin (St Bridgids K)

60kg Winner V Winner

W64kg Katelyn Phelan (St Brigids K) V Evelyn Igharo (Clann Naofa)

64kg Winner V Winner

W69kg Shauna Brogan (Castlebar) V Nadine Dermody (Raging Bull)

69kg Winner V Winner

W75kg Aoibhe Carrabine (Geesala) W/O

75kg Winner V Winner

81kg Winner V Winner

W81+kg Naoise Finney (Ballybrack) W/O

91kg Edward McDonagh (Lumpini) V Pierre Stokes (Leo’s)
91+kg Owney McDonagh (St Annes) W/O

Friday July 13 

Q/Finals

W54kg Mary Kate Nevin (St Brigids E) beat  Nicole McCabe (O’Hanlon Park) 5-0

W54kg Catherine Blaney (Navan) beat Orinta Ringyte (Riverstown) 3-2

56kg Paul Loonam (St Carthages) beat  Davey Joyce (Holy Family Drogheda) 5-0

56kg Brandon McCarthy (St Michaels Athy) beat  Colm Murphy (St Georges) 5-0

60kg David Oliver Joyce (Ballymun) beat James Conroy (Tobar Pheadair) 5-0

60kg Barry McReynolds (Holy Trinity) beat Jordan Carragher (Tredagh) KO1

69kg Christian Preston (Dublin Docklands) beat Conor Renaghan (Sean Dorans) 5-0

69kg Rokas Boltrzakainis (Clane) beat  Gareth Browne (Springtown) RSC3

W57kg Zara Breslin (Tramore) beat Sophie O’Connor (Jobstown) 5-0

W60kg Shauna O’Callaghan (Clann Naofa) beat Carmen Mavrodin (Baldoyle) RSC1

W60kg Marguerita Nevin (St Bridgids K) beat Tiffany O’Reilly (Curragh) 5-0

W69kg Nadine Dermody (Raging Bull) beat Bobbie Hendrick (Sacre Coeur) RSC3