Latest news with #IABA
The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Heartfelt tributes pour in after sad death of ‘proud and passionate' legend of Irish boxing
FORMER Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) president Breandán Ó Conaire has passed away. The Portmarnock native was awarded the IABA President's Award in 2023 for his incredible contribution to Irish boxing. Advertisement 2 The former Chairman of the World Boxing Championships Committee during the launch of the World Amateur Boxing Championships 2001 2 Breandán watching the semi-finals of the Irish National Boxing Championships in 2000 Breandán helped bring the World Amateur Boxing Championships to Ireland in 2001 for the first time, having held only the European Amateur Boxing Championships in 1947. The TG4 TV boxing analyst also played a huge role in bringing Cuban boxing coach Cruz introduced Cuban boxing techniques and a focus on mental preparation to the Irish team, which resulted in Irish success at the Barcelona Olympics, where Michael Carruth won gold and Wayne McCullough won silver. Breandán was also a lecturer in St. Patrick's College ran by Dublin City University for 37 years, retiring in 2007 as head of Roinn na Gaeilge (the Irish department). Advertisement Read more on Irish sport He was a big advocate for the Irish language and was a specialist in Irish literature, cultural history and Irish boxing history. The IABA Hall of Famer was also a former Chairman and Member of European (EABA) Referees & Judges Commission, former Secretary of AIBA Technical & Rules Commission and Member of EABA Youth Commission. President of the IABA Anto Donnelly spoke highly of Ó Conaire's legacy lasting impact on Irish boxing through his incredible work over the years. He said: 'Breandán was a proud, passionate advocate for our sport. Advertisement Most read in Boxing Exclusive Exclusive "He was a stabilising, pioneering leader during a very difficult period in Irish boxing's lifetime. "His contribution to officiating at domestic, European and World level was an extraordinary one, leaving a lasting legacy for fairness and boxer safety. Tyson Fury leaps to Daniel Dubois' defence after Oleksandr Usyk defeat "This is a very sad day for the Boxing community and more so for Breandán's family, to whom he was devoted – we extend to them our deepest condolences on their profound loss' The Irish boxing legend passed away peacefully at Swords Nursing Home, surrounded by his loving family. Advertisement
Irish Independent
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Wexford boxing legend disappointed Katie Taylor's trilogy fight is taking place in New York – ‘The biggest let down for me is that she's not been able to have a show in Croke Park'
Having worked extensively with Bray boxer Katie Taylor Billy said she is an inspirational figure to everyone in Ireland. In the early hours of Saturday morning, Katie Taylor will take on Puerto Rican fighter Amanda Serrano in a trilogy fight at Madison Square Gardens New York, in what could be her last ever fight. Having achieved his dream of representing Ireland at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 Billy is not all that comfortable with the idea that he is a better boxing coach than he was a boxer. 'As a boxer I didn't achieve what I wanted to achieve. Those things which I didn't achieve, I have achieved them as a coach' he said And Billy who resigned from the Irish High Performance Unit, before being brought to the US by his friend and Cork man Finbarr Kirwan, is arguably the best in the world. 'I first met Katie Taylor when she was a young lady. There was no female boxing. Now its strange, but at the time, women didn't box.' But Katie was a unique person. She made such an impression on the likes of Billy and Gary Keegan who was the then IABA performance director that she was admitted into the high performance unit when female boxing wasn't on the Olympic programme. Katie's upcoming trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano will provide a final opportunity for two of the best female boxers in history to go fist to fist. Their fight last year was the most viewed women's pro sporting event in US history. This match will be the first ever all women's card and it will be broadcast live around the world on Netflix. Katie described headlining an all-female fight card as 'the proudest moment of my whole career". Billy is not surprised that Katie is unfazed by it all. He remembers being in her corner for her gold medal win in London at 2012 Olympic games. 'The pressure she was under was unbelievable. The arena was full and 90 per cent of the people in it were Irish. I don't know how they all got tickets. The hairs were standing up on the back of my neck as I walked around to get her hands wrapped. I went 'wow'. And she was just nodding her head as if she was going for stroll.' For Billy, where women's boxing has come from during Katie's career makes it all the more remarkable. In 2007, the men's world championships were held in Chicago. The International Olympic Committee at the time were considering putting female boxing on the programme ADVERTISEMENT 'They put Katie on the undercard at those championships, she fought a Canadian that day. After that fight the IOC decided that female boxing would be in the 2012 games because of the quality and skillset she brought to the table.' Billy and Katie both have birthdays in July, with one day between them. The two send a text to each other every year. Katie is now 39 years old, and Billy thinks this could be her last fight before she hangs up the gloves. 'The biggest let down for me and Katie Taylor is that she's not been able to have a show in Croke Park, he said. And Katie has always wanted to have a 'homecoming' fight in Ireland. 'I think it's a shame that we have not been able to honour our best athlete the way we should do.' Katie's British promoter Eddie Hearn understands the importance of Croke Park's place in Irish culture and to Katie. There were discussions about hosting the trilogy fight at Croke Park and stadium director Peter McKenna was keen, but he said 'the real issue here is security costs,' after the opportunity was lost. Billy went on to explain the value of a homecoming fight. 'It's where the people of Ireland can go and express their gratitude to her and what she has done over her past 20 years of dominance. People should pay homage to that and let her know how we feel about everything she has done.'
The Irish Sun
17-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Lisa and Aoife O'Rourke crowned Hyrox world champions in stunning sisters double act at unique tournament
ROSCOMMON powerhouse boxing sister Lisa and Aoife O'Rourke are now world champions. But there's a catch as it's not just in the ring. Advertisement 2 Lisa and Aoife O'Rourke are now world champions after their triump at the Hyrox World Championships Credit: INSTA @lisaorourke528 2 The sisters claimed gold n the unique gruelling fitness race which combines running with a series of intense workouts Credit: INSTA @lisaorourke528 The The Team Ireland pair stunned the field in the unique gruelling fitness race which combines running with a series of intense workouts. Hyrox Pro capped off a brilliant weekend for 23-year-old Lisa, who had already bagged individual bronze on Friday before linking up with her older sister Aoife to once again top the podium. Lisa Advertisement READ MORE ON BOXING Friends and fans were quick to flood the comments with praise as they congratulated the Ireland stars for the achievement. But there won't be much time for celebration as the O'Rourkes must quickly turn their attention to the The pair must fine-tune themselves for the worlds which run from September 4–14. IABA are currently selecting Ireland's team - and both sisters are expected to be on the plane after standout wins at last month's Elite Championships in Belfast. Advertisement Lisa will be hunting down the world title she previously won in 2022 in Istanbul , while Aoife is looking to improve on the silver she claimed last year in Nis, Serbia . The event will be Lisa's third World Championships and Aoife's second, with the sisters already boasting a treasure trove of honours. Jake Limond on memento of boxing legend dad Willie he takes into ring before EVERY fight Lisa has U22 European golds from 2022 and 2024, while 27-year-old Aoife holds European Championship golds from 2019, 2022 and 2024 She also claimed golf at the European Games in 2023. Advertisement Last summer, Aoife competed at the Paris Olympics but suffered a controversial yet heartbreaking split decision loss in the Last 16 to Poland's Elisabetha Wojcik.
Extra.ie
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
'Exciting times' -- Kellie Harrington teases boxing comeback
Kellie Harrington has teased a potential boxing comeback as she revealed she was flying to the UK to meet with professional boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn. The double Olympian hung up her gloves in August 2024 after defending her 60kg Olympic title in Paris. While the now 35-year-old has previously been vocally against not turning to the professional ranks, perhaps she's had a change of heart. Kellie Harrington has teased a potential boxing comeback as she revealed she was flying to the UK to meet with professional boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie On Tuesday morning, Kellie took to Instagram and shared a picture alongside two boxing coaches from the IABA [Irish Athletic Boxing Association]. Kellie was all smiles as she posed in front of the departure gates at Dublin Airport ahead of the 7am flight to Liverpool. The Portland Row native was alongside Monkstown BC's [boxing club] James Doyle and Lynne McEnery of St Paul's BC, Waterford. Kellie kept tight-lipped on the reasoning for the trio's trip to Liverpool, tagging British promoter Eddie Hearn in the snap, which also saw her adding a boxing glove emoji as well as an piece of paper emoji. Pic: Kellie Harrington/Instagram Kellie kept tight-lipped on the reasoning for the trio's trip to Liverpool, tagging British promoter Eddie Hearn in the snap, which also saw her adding a boxing glove emoji as well as a piece of paper emoji. Lynne re-shared the picture to her own Instagram, adding: 'Exciting times.' Eddie is one of the biggest boxing promoters at the minute and is the chairman of Matchroom Sport. The 46-year-old has promoted a range of huge boxing names including Gennady Golovkin, Canelo Álvarez, Anthony Joshua and Bray native, Katie Taylor. Before Christmas, Kellie admitted that she needed a 'little bit of time to breathe and decompress' but wasn't ruling out a return to boxing in some capacity. Speaking to RTÉ at the time, she said: 'There is a lot more to life than sport. I'm slowly getting to realise that again. 'After ten years of boxing, I need to find who I am without it and see if I like that. If I don't, then I can get back coaching or boxing.'
National Post
30-05-2025
- Health
- National Post
Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening
Article content Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport's new governing body. Article content Article content World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she will be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands. Article content 'The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight' to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,' World Boxing wrote in a statement. The fighters' national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing. Article content Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships after claiming they had failed an unspecified eligibility test. Article content The IOC ran the past two Olympic boxing tournaments after the banishment of the IBA for decades of misdeeds and controversy, and it applied the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. Article content Khelif intends to return to international competition next month in Eindhoven as part of her plan to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, but some boxers and their federations had already spoken out to protest her inclusion. Article content Chromosome testing was common in Olympic sports during the 20th century, but was largely abandoned in the 1990s because of numerous ambiguities that couldn't be easily resolved by the tests, collectively known as differences in sex development (DSD). Many sports switched to hormone testing to determine sex eligibility, but those tests require governing bodies to make difficult decisions on the eligibility of women with naturally high testosterone levels. Article content Three months ago, World Athletics — the governing body for track and field — became the first Olympic sport to reintroduce chromosome testing, requiring athletes who compete in the women's events to submit to the test once in their careers. Article content World Boxing has been provisionally approved to replace the IBA as the governing body at the Los Angeles Games, but it has faced significant pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards.
