Three Mayo female boxers will represent Ireland against Poland in historic twin boxing internationals this weekend. The St Brigid’s BC in Edenderry, Co Offaly, which is are celebrating their 80th anniversary this year, will host its first women’s boxing international in Ireland at the Hamlet Court Hotel in Kildare on Sunday December 8. Forty eight hours before the Kildare clash, a Belfast International Select goes head-to-head with the Poles at the Whiterock Leisure Centre in Belfast. Castlebar’s Grainne Gavin will compete at the 54kg weight at both events with Geesala boxer Ciara Ginty, the current AIBA World Junior champion and AIBA World Female Junior boxer of 2013, who will be between the ropes in Kildare alongside her, and Lycia Heneghan from the Aglish boxing club.
Novice and underage boxers in action
The Mayo Schools Championship concluded last Sunday in Kiltane GAA hall. It took a total of 100 contests to bring the event to a close after two weekends and three days of boxing. It is the turn of the novice boxers to step into the ring this Saturday December 7 and Sunday December 8 in the Peter Callaghan Centre Westport. This competition is open to girls and boys 11 years to under 18 years and 9 to 10-year-olds who have been fully medically carded. Some of these boxers will step between the ropes for the first time in competition, and it will be an occasion they will never forget. Any 11 to 16-year-olds with more than three contests on their record book are not eligible to enter the championship, and the 17/18 year olds are allowed a maximum of five contests on their book. The weigh in will be held between 9.30am and 10.30am and the first bout will commence at noon. A large turnout of novice and underage boxers is envisaged to enter this event.
