IABA and the entire Irish Boxing Family would like to express our deepest condolences to the family, friends, loved ones and club mates of Templemore Boxing Club’s Christopher Doyle, following his untimely passing.
Christopher was a multiple National Champion, including having won the 2024 National BG4 60kg title and 2023 National Junior Cadet 57kg title. He was to contest this 2025 National Junior 1 Championship semi final this Saturday.
A 10 bell salute, in his honour and memory will take place before boxing this weekend. Suaimhneas agus síochán do.
Support
Supports are available for those affected by Christoper’s passing:
2022 World Champion Lisa O’Rourke has opened her account at the 2025 edition of the tournament in style.
She had a bye to the Last 16, and stepped between the ropes this evening against against Azerbaijan’s Aynur Rzayeva – 2016 European Women’s champ at 81+kg; the 2022 European silver medalist, and a 2023 Women’s World bronze medalist.
Lisa made short, decisive and dominant work of the bout. She gave a standing count in the first and second rounds before the referee waved the contest off.
239 boxers from 51 federations are contesting the tournament; in 2023, the last iteration of these championships, 324 boxers from 64 federations competed.
March 15th is a rest day at the tournament, and all finals will be boxed on Sunday, March 16th
Quarter Finals
Lisa has 24 hours to rest and recover – she boxes for a medal in Bout 9 of Ring B’s Evening Session, against Morocco’s Saida Lahmidi, who saw off Uzbekistan in her Last 16 contest also by way of RSC.
And after a long wait, Lisa’s sister, double Olympian 75kg Aoife O’Rourke, opens her account. She is the top seed at the weight and as such, she had a bye to the quarter finals.
She’ll meet Aziza Zokirova of Uzbekistan in Bout 11 of Ring A’s Evening Session.
Watch
Boxing in the Afternoon Session begins at 1pm, Irish time. Evening Sessions get underway at 5pm.
Watch Aoife:
Watch Lisa
Team Ireland
48kg Carleigh Irving, Oakleaf Boxing Club, Derry
50kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry Boxing Club, Wicklow
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has a proud tradition of success, being Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport and Northern Ireland’s most successful Commonwealth Games sport. The Regional Performance Coach will play a role in the Northern Ireland team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow delivering on continued success for the IABA.
The Regional Performance Coach for the Ulster High Performance (UHP) will work closely with the Head Regional Performance Coach (HRPC) within Ulster, assisting with delivery, planning and athlete development.
The Ulster High Performance unit is located at the Ulster University Sport Village, in collaboration with Sport Institute Northern Ireland (SINI). The programme will aim to work with the most talented boxers from Ulster, helping them to develop and transion into the National Programme and competion on the World Stage. The Regional Performance Coach will be key in delivering and supporting athletes to maximise their potential. The role will require a strong technical and tactical knowledge of Boxing, high-level planning and communication skills, proficient computer literacy, a good understanding of athlete development and a proven commitment to the development of High-Performance Boxing.
1. Coach and prepare athletes throughout the performance pathway for a range of competitions throughout the year and participate in training camps as agreed with the Regional Head Performance Coach and Regional Performance Manager.
2. Develop and deliver session plans in collaboration with the Regional Head Performance Coach. Share planning in a timely matter to all coaches involved with the sessions and maintain a record of the sessions conducted.
3. Design, develop, and implement periodised training programs for boxers of all levels within the Ulster High Performance, in consultation with the Head Coach and SINI’s sport science and sports medicine service providers.
4. Embrace both full-time and part-time athletes in the HPU, providing support appropriate to their developmental stages.
5. Contribute to Talent Identification and Athlete Development Pathways.
6. To attend targeted domestic competitions that involve Ulster Athletes as a method of talent identification.
Job Description and Personal Specification
Role Purpose: The Regional Performance Coach will assist with all aspects of the performance programme, supporting the Head Regional Coach and Regional Performance Manager to deliver a worldclass performance pathway, supporting and nurturing talented boxers from Ulster.
Location: Ulster University Sports Village, Jordanstown, BT37 0QB with travel domestic and overseas.
Hours of work: This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with most of that time expected to be on campus in the Jordanstown facility. We are open to considering job-share flexible working patterns, in line with business needs.
Contract: 2 Years Fix Term with the possibility of 2-year extension depending on funding. Six month period of probation will apply.
Salary £32,500- £37,500 Pro-Rata. Band will be dependent on experience
Monitoring and Evaluation
1. Assist in directing, monitoring, and evaluating the impact of training and competition programs and services for athletes within the Ulster HPU.
2. Monitor the progress of individual athletes towards their goals and targets, working in partnership with SINI’s key service providers.
3. Maintain an accurate record of incident reports and injury management.
4. Maintain an accurate record of athlete progress and provide detailed reports on individual athletes as requested by the Performance Lead.
5. Provide monthly progress reports on both competition and training camps, as required.
Leadership and Support
1. Lead activities and initiatives within the program when directed by the Performance
Director, Regional Performance Manager, or Regional Head Performance Coach.
2. Provide coverage for HP coaching colleagues and the Head Coach as necessary.
3. Assist in managing training programs for the various competition streams within the
Ulster High Performance.
4. Work collaboratively with staff members of the IABA, volunteers, club coaches, Sport
Northern Ireland (SNI), and the Sport Institute of Northern Ireland (SINI) on all
aspects of the performance program.
5. Work alongside relevant performance colleagues as part of a multi-disciplinary team
supporting both regional and national teams.
Miscellaneous
1. Attend all necessary IABA meetings as requested by the Regional Head Coach.
2. Engage positively in a personal performance development plan, actively identifying
new areas for learning and committing to a culture of continual improvement
3. Support the development and implementation of the National and Regional High
Performance Strategy.
4. Work cooperatively with IABA and Ulster office staff, primary partners and sponsors
to support marketing and promotional activities and media requirements
5. Any other reasonable duties as required by the Regional Head Coach or Regional
Performance Manager.
Person Specification
Essential Skills and Qualifications
A minimum 1 Star Boxing coaching qualification; a higher grade is desirable.
2 Years previous experience coaching elite high performance boxers.
Previous experience coaching talented Elite, Youth and Junior athletes in an High
Performance boxing setting.
Competent in the use of Microsoft Packages.
An understanding of performance planning and good administrative skills.
Competent English language skills.
Flexibility to work weekends and evenings
Desirable Skills and Qualifications
2 Star or 3 Star coaching qualification.
Previous experience in performance and pathway planning.
Previous experience in a coaching role in an high performance environment.
Application Process
Interested persons are invited to submit the following by email to hr@iaba.ie: *Resume including 2 referees *Cover letter outlining how they meet the essential skills and qualifications by providing examples of how they have previously fulfilled the duties and responsibilities of this type of role Application closing date: 14th March 2024 Anticipated Interview Dates: Week beginning 17th March 2025
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post holder is required to undergo Safeguarding Training, to be agreed with the Head of Safeguarding. The successful candidate will be required to complete the necessary. Access NI checks prior to appointment.
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association is an equal opportunities employer.
A challenging day for Team Ireland at the Women’s World Championships in Nice, Serbia.
Two Paris Olympians, Daina Moorehouse and Grainne Walsh, were in action.
Daina, contesting at 50kg, had a bye, and began her tournament against China’s 8th seeded Hu Meiyi. This was a highly competitive bout in which Daina was 3-2 down in the first, despite a low landing rate by her opponent, and won the last round. The 4-1 split decision went to Hu. Judges scores are available here
There was also last 16 start for Olympian, 66kg Grainne Walsh – she was between the ropes against Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova. Khamidova is a fellow Olympian, the reigning Asian champ and medaled at the 2023 Women’s Worlds. This was a highly physical, high octane bout between two steely contenders. Grainne was given a standing count in the second round and a point deduction for holding following a caution. Holding was a feature in this bout, but no other points were deducted. The 4-0 decision went to the Uzbek boxer. Judges scores are available here
Of the Team Ireland boxers yet to begin their championships, double Olympian 75kg Aoife O’Rourke, is the top seed in her weight. As such, she has a bye to the quarter finals. She’ll meet the winner of the contest between Bulgaria and Uzbekhistan on Thursday.
239 boxers from 51 federations are contesting the tournament; in 2023, the last iteration of these championships, 324 boxers from 64 federations competed.
March 15th is a rest day at the tournament, and all finals will be boxed on Sunday, March 16th.
Day Four
Just one Team Ireland boxer in action in the fourth day of the tournament.
2022 World Champion, 70kg Lisa O’Rourke starts at the Last 16 stage against Azerbaijan’s Aynur Rzayeva – 2016 European Women’s champ at 81+kg; the 2022 European silver medalist, and a 2023 Women’s World bronze medalist.
That’s Bout 6 of Ring B’s Evening Session.
The programme for Ring B’s Evening Session is available here
Watch
The Afternoon Session begins at 1pm, Irish time, while the Evening Session gets underway at 5pm.
Ring A, Afternoon Session
Ring B, Afternoon Session
Ring A, Evening Session
Ring B, Evening Session
Team Ireland
48kg Carleigh Irving, Oakleaf Boxing Club, Derry
50kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry Boxing Club, Wicklow
IABA’s Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Officer, Patrick Adejayan, has commissioned and is funding the Irish Wheelchair Association to deliver in-person wheelchair accessibility awareness training on Tuesday, April 8th.
The 3-hour Accessibility Awareness (In-Person) Training introduces participants to the key principles of Universal Access, Universal Design, Disability Access Certificates and Access Auditing to ensure all aspects of the built environment are accessible.
This practical workshop is highly interactive, with videos, discussions, case studies, design appraisals, route appraisals, problem-solving of everyday scenarios, examples of everyday barriers faced by people with disabilities and more.
After completing the workshop, participants will receive an Irish Wheelchair Association Certificate of Attendance and a resource manual for inclusive activities.
Date and Location
The National Stadium, Tuesday 8th April between 11am and 2pm.
Places are limited. If you register for a place on this course and cannot attend, please advise IABA’s DEI Officer, Patrick Adejayan, through patrick.ad@iaba.ie so that your place can be offered to an IABA member on the waiting list.
