Irish lightweight Katie Taylor is rated number one in the world and Europe for the eighth month running in the international rankings for September.
Taylor, 21, is also ranked number one in the world and Europe in the pound-for-pound section ahead of next month’s European Championships in Denmark, where she will be aiming for a third gold on the trot.
The St Fergal’s Bray ace was crowned World Lightweight Champion in New Delhi last November, just a few weeks after winning her second European title in a row in Poland.
Overall, Irish boxers occupy 35 positions in the men’s, women’s, junior and cadet world and European rankings for September and August.
Middleweight Darren Sutherland commands number six spot in the world rankings and is at number two in the Europeans, while light heavyweight Ken Egan is ranked 10th in the world and fourth in Europe.
Roy Sheahan is ranked 17th in the world and 10th in Europe, while Cathal McMonagle is ranked 16th in the world and 10th in Europe. Light flyweight Paddy Barnes (11th), flyweight Conor Ahern (11th), bantamweight Ryan Lindberg (15th), featherweights Carl Frampton (11th) and David Oliver Joyce (13th), lightweight John Joe Joyce (17th), middleweights Darren O’Neill (11th) and Eamon O’Kane (19th), and heavyweight John Sweeney (10th) are also included in the European top 20 rankings.
In women’s boxing, Taylor is number one in the world and Europe in all categories, and light welterweight Allana Murphy is rated sixth in the world and fourth in Europe. Ryan Lindberg (ninth) also makes the world junior rankings along with flyweight John Joe Nevin (12th), bantamweight Mark McCullagh (10th) and heavyweight Con Sheehan (13th). Lindberg (sixth), Nevin (seventh), McCullagh (seventh), and Sheehan (11th) are also included in the European junior rankings in their respective weight classes.
The world cadet rankings also feature Irish boxers, following excellent performances from light welterweight David Joe Joyce, light middleweight Bernard Roe, middleweight Tommy McCarthy and heavyweight Joe Joyce in international competition this year. Roe is rated eighth in the world while David Joe Joyce (11th), McCarthy (13th) and Joe Joyce (11th) also feature in the top 15.
The Irish senior boxing squad travelled to Frankfurt, Ger-many last week for their final training camp ahead of next month’s World Champ-ionships and Olympic qualifiers in Chicago.
The World Championships, which will act as the first qualifier for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, will be held at the University of Illinois between 23 October and 3 November.
The Irish squad were in France for a training camp recently, and according to Gary Keegan, who heads the Irish Amateur Boxing Association’s (IABA) High Performance Unit, the camp at the Blue Fontaine military base, outside Paris, went exceptionally well.
There was one scare, however, when middleweight Darren Sutherland picked up a facial injury after dropping a French opponent in sparring. Sutherland was consequently withdrawn from contact training as a precaution but is now fully fit and will be part of the Irish squad for their final training camp in Germany between 1–11 October.
The Irish squad put in an extra 30 seconds per round in sparring sessions in France, and bouts were effectively lasting five rounds. An amateur contest lasts four two-minute rounds.
Keegan said: “We got a lot of hard work done in France and I was delighted with the quality of the sparring sessions and their intensity. We will be looking for more of the same in Germany next month, which is exactly what we need ahead of the World Championships and Olympic qualifiers.”
A 13-man Irish squad, including Carl Frampton and Darren O’Neill, is in Germany at the moment. However, Frampton and O’Neill will leave the squad for a Multi Nations tournament in Cyprus on 11 October. The remaining 11 boxers will then compete at the World Championships in Chicago.
In pro news, Irish puncher Peter McDonagh will have his first fight of the year next month in an attempt to put himself in line for a British title.
The Galway-born lightweight will appear on the Jon Thaxton/Dave Stewart undercard in London’s York Hall against Jonny Greaves on 5 October.
The 29-year-old was embroiled in controversy last year when his fight with Michael Gomez at Dublin’s National Stadium was stopped in the fifth after Gomez walked back to his corner and refused to fight on. The referee then awarded McDonagh the contest.
Gomez, a temperamental character at the best of times, said after that episode that he had had enough and had decided to retire from the sport.
When an RTÉ reporter pointed out to him rhetorically that the vast majority of boxers don’t choose the middle of a title fight to announce they were hanging up their gloves, Gomez appeared to be unperturbed by the question. “I just had enough and that was that,” he said at the time.
Following Gomez’s jawdropping decision to quite literally walk away from the game, it was alleged that the fight had been the subject of a betting coup. However, following an investigation by Irish pro boxing chiefs, those claims were judged to be completely unfounded.
McDonagh had mind guru Uri Geller in his corner against Gomez. The paranormalist had vowed to help the Galway man “unlock his human potential” before his meeting with Gomez, who was distinctly underwhelmed by the presence of Geller in his opponents corner, telling McDonagh: “Stick with your spoonbending friend because I’m going to bend your ribs.”
Meanwhile, McDonagh has put the Gomez fight well behind him now and is looking forward to his four-rounder with Greaves.
He said: “I’ve won my last four now and this is a chance for me to look good and show people what I can do. I had a bit of hand damage and have not been able to get a fight, which is why I haven’t fought this year.
“This is going to be a big year for me. I want the British title so I will fight Thaxton or Stewart. I deserve a chance after beating Gomez and want an eliminator at least.
“I was selected as the opponent against Gomez. But I was given 12 weeks to prepare for it and I showed what I can do. When I step up now, I’m not going to take any chances and will stop people rather than letting it go to points.
“Things are going really well and I have got great sparring with the likes of Kevin Mitchell, Nicky Cook and Colin Lynes.”
McDonagh has won 10 of his 21 professional fights so far.
Irish World Championships Squad:
48kg: Paddy Barnes (Holy Family GG)
51kg: Conor Ahern (Baldoyle)
54kg: Ryan Lindberg (Immaculata)
57kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy)
60kg: Eric Donovan (St Michael’s Athy)
64kg: John Joe Joyce (St Michael’s Athy)
69kg: Roy Sheahan (St Michael’s Athy)
75kg: Darren Sutherland (St Saviour’s OBA)
81kg: Ken Egan (Neilstown)
91kg: John Sweeney (Dungloe)
91+kg: Cathal McMonagle (Holy Trinity)
Irish Multi Nations Squad:
57kg: Carl Frampton (Midlands White City)
75kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)
