Archive for the ‘ Boxing ’ Category

2012 Irish Sport Review

kbKieran Behan defied the odds to become the second ever Irish gymnast to qualify for the Olympics despite expectations that he would never walk again.

Connacht recorded their first ever victory in the Heineken Cup with a 9-8 win over Harlequins, but still finished bottom of their group.

Ireland kicked off their Six Nations campaign with a 21-23 defeat to Wales which was followed by a 42-10 victory over Italy.

Irish rugby fans were left stranded in Paris following late cancellation of France vs Ireland in the Six Nations.

Galway native Richard Donovan broke his own world record in Sydney, Australia as he ran seven marathons in the space of four days, 22 hours and four minutes.

The rescheduled Six Nations game against France ended in a 17-17 draw. The remaining fixtures were a 32-14 win over Scotland and finally a disastrous St. Patrick’s Day for the national side as they were beaten 30-9 by England.

Cork landed their third Allianz Football League Division One title in a row with a 2-10 0-11 victory over Mayo.

Irish-born Aussie Rules hall of famer Jim Stynes passed away at the age of 45 after losing his battle with cancer.

Kilkenny hammered Galway 3-26 to 0-10 to land National Hurling League Division One title.

Crusaders won the Setanta Sports Cup following a 5-4 victory on penalties against Derry City. The game was level at 2-2 after extra-time.

Katie Taylor won her fourth consecutive Amateur World Championship, beating Russian opponent Sofya Ochigava who she would later face in an historic sporting occasion.

Leinster landed the Heinken Cup after a 42-14 win over Ulster at Twickenham.

The Republic of Ireland crashed out of the Euro 2012 group stages as they failed to pick up a single point and scored just one goal. They were beaten 3-1 by Croatia, 4-0 by Spain and 2-0 by Italy.

The Airtricity League Premier Division lost another club as Monaghan United drop out due to financial reasons.

Cork, Dublin, Donegal and Mayo won their respective provincial Gaelic football titles

Tipperary, Galway and Antrim won their respective provincial Hurling titles.

Katie Taylor won gold for Ireland at the London Olympics. She recorded impressive victories over Great Britain’s Natasha Jonas and Tajikistan’s Mavzuna Chorieva before meeting Ochigava in a tightly contested Final which saw the Bray native triumph by a score of 10-8.ktJohn-Joe Nevin picked up silver while Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes won bronze in boxing at the London Olympics.

Cian O’Connor secured a bronze medal with his horse in the Individual Jumping event.

There was further success in London in the following weeks as the Irish Paralympic team returned home with a tally of 16 medals, their highest total since picking up 42 medals at the 1988 games in Seoul. They won 8 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 5 bronze medals.

jmcDonegal outshone Mayo to win their first All-Ireland title in 20 years. Jim McGuinness’ incredible year as Donegal manager did not go unnoticed abroad and he was handed a role as a performance consultant at Celtic just weeks later.

Kilkenny beat Galway in a replay of the All-Ireland Hurling Final to secure yet another title.

The Republic of Ireland avoided an embarrassing opening to their World Cup Qualifiers Group as they score two late goals to take three points away from Kazakhstan.

Drogheda United won the EA Sports Cup following a 3-1 victory over Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght Stadium.

Sligo Rovers won their first League of Ireland title since 1977 after beating fellow title contenders St. Patrick’s Athletic in a dramatic game as Mark Quigley’s 87th minute penalty proved to be the decisive goal.

Limerick were promoted to the top tier of Irish football for the first time in 19 years.

The Republic of Ireland suffered one of its heaviest ever defeats as Germany hammered them 6-1 at the Aviva Stadium. The Boys in Green respond with a 4-1 win away to the Faroe Islands days later.

dcfcDerry City were crowned as the FAI Ford Cup Champions following a 3-2 win over St. Patrick’s Athletic after extra-time.

Gaelic football loses one of its all-time greats as Kerry hero Paidi O’Se passes away aged 57.

By Alan Finn

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2012
12/24
CATEGORY
Boxing
Football
GAA
Horse Racing
League of Ireland
Rugby
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Irish Wrestler Set For Charity Boxing Match

ddLeading Irish wrestler Danny “The Pain” Deans is taking to the boxing ring in an attempt to raise funds for cancer research and a cancer patient who urgently needs treatment.

The Irish News Review columnist will don a different set of gloves when he takes to the squared circle on December 21st at the Regency Hotel in Dublin.

Deans will headline the event when he battles long time friend and Hard-Pain tag team partner Harry Hardshaw in a special exhibition match. Boxing rules will apply but who knows what will happen when these two grapplers get to grips with each other.

Speaking on why he’s involved in the charity event Danny said “This event means a lot to me because over the last few years I lost two of my auntie’s to cancer. They were my father’s sisters, he is also not with us anymore so I’d say they are proud of me for taking part in this event”.

A number of boxing matches will also take place on the undercard.

Tickets for the over 18’s event cost €15 with a DJ playing live music while the action unfolds. Live music will follow the event.

If you would like to sponsor Danny you can do so by contacting him through Irish News Review.

2012
12/13
CATEGORY
Boxing
Sport
Wrestling
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Nevin Set For Final Battle Against Family Friend

Irish fighter John Joe Nevin is facing the battle of his life tonight in order to achieve Olympic gold.

The Mullingar fighter, who is hoping to emulate the success earlier this week of Katie Taylor and win a gold medal, is in action at 8.45pm.

He beat Cuba’s reigning world champion Lazaro Alvarez Estrada yesterday afternoon on a score of 19-14 and will face Britain’s Luke Campbell in tonight’s final at the Excel Arena in London.

The Mullingar bantamweight gave the performance of his life, winning all three rounds against Estrada and bringing the house down at the ExCel Arena. Nevin nailed the Cuban with some wonderful combinations while always fighting at long distance.

It was closer in round two with Estrada desperately trying to claw back the lead but he couldn’t cope with Nevin’s clean.

With Estrada unable to make much headway, Nevin did his self proclaimed Mullingar Shuffle, reminiscent of the great Ali shuffle. Nevin got the Cuban right where he wanted him with the shuffle making him an easy target.

Hull native Campbell eased through his bantamweight semi-final against Japan’s Satoshi Shimizu winning 20-11. He will find it tougher against Nevin, an opponent he is familiar with.

Campbell has Irish relatives on his dad’s side and they know the Nevin clan in Cavan.

His Irish aunt was telling him how good Nevin is when he last spoke to her.

“The Irish side of my family know the Nevin family pretty well,” he said. “My dad’s mum and dad were from Ireland and one was from Northern Ireland and the other from southern Ireland.

“I was talking to my family in Ireland a few months ago and they all said they knew John Joe and his family.

“We were all talking about what a great fighter he is.

“I knew it could happen at the beginning of this tournament that we could meet again and it’s great to have a GB v Ireland Olympic final.

“He’s done brilliantly and I’ve done fantastically well too, so I’m fully expecting a great final.”

The duo have met each other twice before with both claiming one victory each but the Irish public will be hoping Nevin can get the better of Campbell and guarantee a second gold medal for Ireland.

 

2012
08/11
CATEGORY
Boxing
Sport
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Katie Hoping To Beat Outspoken Opponent And Win The Gold

Katie Taylor will aim to win Ireland’s first gold medal in boxing in 20 years this afternoon when she competes in the final of the women’s lightweight category at London 2012.

The nation will come to a standstill as Taylor takes on Russia’s Sofya Ochigava at the ExCeL Arena at 4:45pm.

Thousands of people are expected to gather in Bray to watch the fight, which comes one day after the hometown hero sealed her route to the final with a stunning win over Tajikistan’s Mavzuna Chorieva .

The Russian has lost twice to Taylor in recent finals but will aim to make it third time lucky after her defeats at the 2011 European Championships and this year’s world championships. Ochigava expressed her concerns that the judges might favour the Irish boxer, saying that Taylor’s first round opponent Natasha Jonas suffered at the hands of the judges.

“She is one of the best, but she is just another boxer. In my opinion Natasha Jonas won the first two rounds against her, but the judges didn’t see it that way,” Ochigava said after beating Brazil’s Adriana Araujo 17-11 in her semi-final

“When you fight Katie you are already minus 10 points. You are fighting the judges and the whole system and they will try to give her too many points.”

Regardless of her feelings towards the judges, Ochigava, who also reached the final in clinical fashion, will certainly be up against an Irish crowd who smashed the record for the loudest roar of the Games on Monday.

Katie who has been vividly struck by the atmosphere during her matches said “It’s amazing. To have a chance to box for a gold medal tomorrow is incredible. It’s incredible to have 10,000 Irish people screaming for you, it feels like I’m boxing at home in Dublin. Hopefully I can make everyone proud.”

2012
08/09
CATEGORY
Boxing
Irish News
News
Sport
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Brave Macklin Surrenders In 11th Round

Sergio Martinez beat Matthew Macklin by a technical knockout at Madison Square Garden in New York last night to remain the world middleweight champion.

It wasn’t plain sailing for the formidable fighter though. Tipperary Tornado Macklin has no doubt endeared himself to the boxing world by giving world champion Martinez arguably his toughest match of his career.

The Irish fighter battled valiantly with the Argentinian, trading heavy blows what for what was a pretty even contest. However Martinez floored Macklin twice in the 11th round forcing his camp to throw in the towel.

Macklin (29) felt he was in control for much of the fight. He said on Sky Sports 1: “I thought I had the most momentum, I thought I was in the driver’s seat. Some of the rounds were close but I thought I was dictating.

“I was the one that was boxing to the game plan, and I was taking him out of his.”

Macklin explained he took a more cautious and technical approach to the fight than usual.

He said: “Putting reckless pressure on would have been detrimental so I tried to feint, move my head, box, take him out of his rhythm, upset him a little bit and ease my way into the fight, then start putting the pressure on.”

The tactic was a good one and some observers had him level or even ahead once the glove of Martinez, the heavy favourite with bookmakers, touched the canvas in the seventh round.

Thereafter though it was all about the 37-year-old, who upped his game and dominated from then.

Asked what changed as the fight wore on, Macklin said: “I switched off a little bit upstairs, stopped moving my head a little bit.

“It wasn’t extreme fatigue because it wasn’t that sort of fight but I certainly slowed a little bit, stopped moving my head, got a bit heavy on my feet and he caught me square a few times.

“That allowed him to get his confidence up and get into his rhythm.”

“I’ve never ever quit,” said Macklin. “I wanted to continue. I gave it 100%. I think anyone who watched would agree. Hopefully I didn’t let anyone down.”

With Martinez nearing the twilight of his career, the stage looks set for Macklin to take over his reign as world champion. Whether he will get a rematch with the Argentine remains to be seen but Macklin will remain firm in the belief that his time will come and few would argue against him.

2012
03/18
CATEGORY
Boxing
Sport
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Tipperary Tornado Primed And Ready For Martinez Battle

The eyes of Ireland will fall on Madison Square Garden this weekend when Irish fighter Matthew Macklin faces Sergio Martinez in the fight of his life.

 Birmingham born middleweight Macklin says he is ignoring the hype surrounding his opponent and is sure he possesses the ability to topple the Argentine, who is regarded by many as one of the top three boxers in the world.

29 year old Macklin also known as The Tipperary Tornado cannot wait to do battle with Martinez for the middleweight title.

“It’s a difficult fight, no doubt, but he’s not unbeatable. I have the tools to beat him,” said Macklin who made his boxing debut 18 years ago to the day.

“The media can build you up but no-one’s a monster, he’s a man, and when he gets hit on the nose it’ll hurt.”

Martinez, 37, is widely considered to be among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and Macklin knows he has to be at his best.

“He’s a really good fighter, what he does he does well,” said Macklin who grew up in his mother’s home county of Tipperary.

“He’s slick, an awkward southpaw, lots of lateral movement and has good reflexes and good timing.”

Macklin has been patiently waiting to get his hands on Martinez and feels that his recent move to New York is benefitting his career.”I feel like I’m getting better and better. I’ve had frustrating times when I’ve been inactive but I feel that’s kept me fresh for all these years.

“I feel like my hand speed’s improving and I’m getting sharper and the reflexes are better, I’m just becoming a better fighter.”

“The stage is set for me to go and beat Sergio Martinez and I’ll just explode overnight,” concluded Macklin who is fully focused on dethroning one of the greatest middleweights of all time.

2012
03/16
CATEGORY
Boxing
Sport
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Taylor On Course For More Gold

Boxing star Katie Taylor is continuing her dominance of the sport by winning through to the semi-finals of the European Championships.
The triple world champion is on the march to claim her fifth European crown in a row in the Netherlands.
The Co Wicklow based boxer won her quarter final at the European Women Boxing Championships following a comprehensive victory over Azerbaijan’s Ayzanat Hajiyeva in Rotterdam.
The Irish lightweight, who was 13-3 up going into the fourth and final round, earned a 17-4 win to claim her third victory in three days at the championships.
Taylor will now meet Sweden’s Helena Falk in Friday’s semi-final.
The Taylor-Falk bout is a repeat of the 60kg clash which Taylor won on a unanimous decision in her hometown of Bray last August.
Taylor is guaranteed at least a bronze following her quarter-final win, but will be aiming for gold to continue her incredible dominance.
Meanwhile, Ceire Smith lost out in her quest to reach the semi-finals this morning, following a 24-9 defeat to Poland’s Sandra Drabik in the bantamweight division.
The first round finished 3-2 in Drabik’s favour, but the Pole, who claimed silver at the 2011 European Union Championships, pulled away in the final three rounds.
“It was a very brave performance from Ceire against a very experienced opponent. Katie was brilliant and she gave an excellent performance,” said Ireland team manager Anna Moore.
Kilkenny light-heavyweight Lauragh O’Neill also produced a brave performance but  bowed out following a 16-7 loss to Tinea Naga in a repeat of the 2011 European Union semi-final which the Hungarian won 26-10.
“Lauragh showed just how much she has improved from the last time they met you could see that improvement,” added Moore.

2011
10/19
CATEGORY
Boxing
Sport
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Nevin Going For Gold

AMATEUR boxer John Joe Nevin faces one of the biggest fights of his career on Friday morning when he hit’s the ring to challenge England’s Luke Campbell for a place in the World Championship final.
The fleet-flooted bantamweight has already achieved one major goal by qualifying for the London Olympics next year through his performances at the championships in Baku Azerbaijan.
It is the second world championships in a row that Mullingar man Nevin has made it to the semi-final – marking him out as the first male Irish boxer in history to win two medals at world championships.
However the 22-year-old will be hoping to do even better than the bronze medal he achieved in Turkey two years ago by going on to claim gold.
The omens look good for Nevin, as the last time he faced Campbell he comprehensively beat him 13-2 in the 2009 European Union semi-final.
If Nevin wins again, then he will be in the final on Sunday against the winner of the other semi-final bout between Lazaro Estrada-Alverez and Anvar Yunusov of Tajikstan.
Two other Irish boxers – flyweight Michael Conlon and middleweight Darren O’Neill – have also qualified for next year’s Olympics by virtue of making the quarter-finals in their respective weight divisions.
However both missed out on reaching the medal stages in Baku by losing closely fought last-eight bouts.
Roy Sheehan could also qualify for the London Games if Egidijus Kavaliauskas of Lithuania beats Sapiyev Serik of Kazakhstan in the welterweight semi-final.
Sheehan, of the St Michael’s Athy BC, was beaten by Kavaliauskas in the last-16.
However, boxers losing out in the last-16 in eight of the weight categories from light-fly to light-heavy will qualify for the Olympics if they were beaten by the eventual finalists in those weight classes.

2011
10/06
CATEGORY
Boxing
Sport
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Boxers Prepare For Crucial World Championships

IRELAND’S elite squad of amateur boxers are putting their finishing touches to preparations for the crucial World Championships which begin next Monday.
This year’s championships, which are being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, also act as the first major opportunity for Irish boxers to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.
The Irish team have spent a week at a special training camp in Cologne, Germany, and will board a plane for Baku tomorrow (Wednesday) with high hopes of success.
Ireland has a proud tradition in Olympic boxing, winning 12 medals – more than in any other event.
The elite team competing at the World Championships this year have bags of experience and will be hoping to win medals at all weight divisions and, in doing so, secure their Olympic tickets.
Among the squad are heavyweight Kenny Egan and light-flyweight Paddy Barnes, who scooped a silver and bronze medal respectively at the last Olympics.
Egan, who won his silver medal at light-heavyweight in Beijing in 2008, has now moved up to the heavyweight division, due to the emergence of 19-year-old Joe Ward.
Ward became the first man in eleven years to defeat Egan at the Irish National championships in February and he followed that up by winning gold at the European Championships in June.
Elsewhere, Bantamweight John Joe Nevin will also be hoping to make it to his second Olympics on the trot.
Currently ranked at number four in the world in his weight division, Nevin will view the World Championships as his chance to nail down an Olympic spot.
Irish head coach Billy Walsh reckons that with Olympic qualification and World Championship medals up for grabs, competition in Baku will be intense.
“We’re happy where the squad are at at the moment. We’ve been in Cologne for over a week now and we’re looking forward to getting out of here and settling in Baku,” Walsh said.
“We’re less than a week away from the start of the World Championships and Olympic qualifiers now and that’s what it’s all about. That’s what we’re here for.”

The full Irish Squad for the 2011 AIBA World Championships & Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan is:

49Kg: (Light-flyweight) – Paddy Barnes (Holy Family BC, Belfast)
52Kg: (Flyweight) – Michael Conlon (St John Bosco BC, Belfast)
56Kg: (Bantamweight) – John Joe Nevin (Cavan BC)
60Kg: (Lightweight) – David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy BC, Kildare)
64Kg: (Light-welterweight) – Ray Moylette (St Anne’s BC, Mayo)
69Kg: (Welterweight) – Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy BC, Kildare)
75Kg: (Middleweight) – Darren O’Neill (Paulstown BC, Kilkenny)
81Kg: (Light-heavyweight) – Joe Ward (Moate BC, Westmeath)
91Kg: (Heavyweight) – Ken Egan (Neilstown BC, Dublin)
91Kg+: (Super-heavyweight) – Con Sheehan (Clonmel BC, Tipperary)

2011
09/20
CATEGORY
Boxing
Sport
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