JIM WALSH is hoping that the Irish Amateur Boxing Asso-ciation (IABA) can beat Sunderland boss Roy Keane to the punch for the Philips Manager of the Year Award for 2007. The Irish team manager for last month’s European Union Boxing Championships at Dublin’s National Stadium became the second Munster man on the trot – after the Black Cats boss, a former amateur boxer himself at Brian Dillon’s club in Cork (and who retired undefeated after three fights) – to be named Philips Manager of the Month for June, when he was presented with the award at the Hilton Hotel in Limerick.
Last month’s European Union Championships saw Ireland confirm her status as the top amateur boxing nation in the EU, with a haul of five medals overall. Irish captain Ken Egan, Roy Sheahan and Darren Sutherland won gold, while Carl Frampton and Cathal McMonagle claimed silver against some of the top boxers in the world on an historic weekend for boxing in this country. Italy and France matched Ireland in the standings, with all three countries winning five medals in total, but the Boys in Green were not going to be usurped in their own backyard and landed more gold medals than any other nation competing in Dublin.
The record medal haul was a ringing endorsement for the Irish Amateur Boxing Association’s High Perfor-mance Unit which is headed by Gary Keegan and coaches Billy Walsh and Zuar Anita.
Cuban national Nicholas Cruz, who was part of the Irish management team that that saw Michael Carruth and Wayne McCullough win gold and silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, is the only other person involved with Irish amateur boxing to have won a Philips award.
Commentating on his award, Walsh admitted that he was over the moon: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would receive this award and I am very proud to accept it on behalf of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association.
“In truth, I think that the High Performance director Gary Keegan and the coaches Billy Walsh and Zuar Antia were more deserving of the award as they have done an enormous amount of work with the Irish squad.
“People only sit up and notice when Irish boxers win medals, but the work that the High Performance Unit and everyone involved with Irish amateur boxing is doing behind the scenes day in and day out to ensure that we do win medals is nothing short of incredible.
“Hopefully someone involved with Irish boxing will now be in the running to win the Philips manager of the year award... That would really be the icing on the cake of what has been an incredible year for the Irish amateur boxing so far.”
Irish boxers have claimed medals at almost every tournament they have entered in Europe this year, and most of the senior boxers are ranked in the top 20 in the world. EU medal winners Egan, Suth-erland, Sheahan, Frampton and McMonagle are all included in the world rankings just released for June. Sutherland, from the St Saviours club in Dublin, is the highest mover in the world rankings at number seven, while Egan (Neilstown Dublin) is at number eight. Stylish St Michael’s Athy welterweight Sheahan, coming off injury, is at number 17 in one of the most competitive weight divisions in world amateur boxing. Holy Trinity Belfast super heavyweight McMon-agle is ranked in 11th spot. Midlands White City Belfast featherweight Frampton is at number 20. And in women’s boxing, Irish world and back-to-back lightweight women’s champion Katie Taylor is ranked number one in the world and number one in the pound-for-pound section in the world for the sixth month running.
The IABA will announce its squad for October’s World Championships in Chicago – which will also act as a qualifier for the 2008 Olympics – in the next few weeks.
Boxers reaching the quarter-finals in the Windy City will qualify automatically for the Olympic Games, although heavyweights and super heavyweights must reach the semi-finals to qualify because of the lower entry levels in these weight categories. However, it is going to be difficult challenge in Chicago, as world boxing chiefs at the AIBA announced last week that a record 110 countries have already registered to compete at the World Championships and another 20 nations are expected, which could mean that over 800 boxers will be competing. If, as expected, over 130 nations compete in Chicago, that will represent an amazing statistic.
Meanwhile, former Olym-pian and unbeaten Irish middleweight Andy Lee will make his Irish professional debut on the Bernard Dunne–Kiko Martinez undercard at the Point Depot in Dublin next month.
Promoters Brian Peters, Denis Hobson and Team Magee confirmed last week that the ex-St Francis Limerick southpaw would have his 11th pro fight at the Point on 25 August. Lee, who boxes out of the Kronk Gym in Detroit under renowned coach Emanuel Steward, said that he was eagerly looking forward to making his pro debut at home against an opponent to be confirmed over eight rounds.
The last time Lee fought in Dublin, he comfortably beat Cuban number one and ex-world champ Yordanis Des-paigne as part of the Irish-dominated Four Nations amateur team that hammered a star studded Cuban selection by 6–2 at the National Stadium in 2005.
Lee said: “I have been asked a thousand times over the last year when am I going to box in Ireland and now it is finally going to happen and I’m thrilled to be coming home.
“I’m glad my fans in Limerick and across the country have now got the opportunity to come and support me and the other boxers on the show. Every time I come home I keep getting asked when am I fighting in Ireland – well the time has now arrived.”
Lee’s manager Steward, who has trained and managed over 30 world champions in his career, is also looking forward to his trip to Ireland with the man he believes has the potential to be one of the biggest stars in boxing. He said: “I’m very excited about Andy making his Irish debut next month. It’s Andy’s 11th fight and the time is now right for boxing fans from Limerick, Dublin, Belfast and across Ireland to see one of their most talented sons perform.”
Bernard Dunne will defend his European Super Bantam-weight title against Spaniard Martinez at the Point Depot on 25 August.
