Big time international boxing comes back to Mayo next month with the holding of two international competitions which will pit Ireland against England on December 9 in the Castlecourt Hotel, Westport, and December 10 in the Ramada Hotel, Ballina. The international contests are being jointly hosted by St Anne’s Boxing Club, Westport, and the Ardnaree Boxing Club.
The international tournament will feature the talents of current world youths’ 60kg champion Ray Moylette, Irish champion Danny Coughlan from St Anne’s, along with Olympic silver medalist Kenny Egan who will square up against England’s Gary Barr. Also featuring on the bill will be two women’s bouts featuring St Anne’s Tara Keane and Shona Geraghty.
This exciting international competition which will feature 10 bouts on each night with a triple headlining bill of Moylette, Coughlan, and Egan leading the bill each night was launched in the Pete Murray Gym of St Anne’s boxing club this week. Joe Heneghan from Ardnaree boxing club will be the Irish team manager for the competition. He urged all boxing fans to come out and support the events which will bring top class amateur boxing to Mayo. “This is a great opportunity for everybody in Mayo to come out and support the work being done by the clubs in Mayo in training these super athletes, you only have to look at the numerous titles that have been won down the years to see the success of the clubs at national and international level, and in Ray now world championship level.” Heneghan also told the launch that discussions are currently under way to try to get Ireland’s biggest boxing sensation of the moment Katie Taylor to appear at the events, but getting her an opponent is proving difficult due to her class and standing in the sport world-wide.
The event was launched by Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, Cllr Myles Staunton, who in his youth was a member of St Anne’s, but he admitted that he was never the best boxer and did not last too long in the sport. But he paid tribute to the work being done by Peter Mullen and all the coaches in St Anne’s over the years in working with the youth of the town and guiding them to be the best they can inside be and outside the ring.
Tickets for the competitions cost €10 and can be obtained from both clubs, for what promises to be two nights of top class sporting entertainment.
