Cork Boxing: Two new tournaments added for Leeside clubs

Cork boxing clubs are now preparing for the new season.

Once again, the flagship of the new boxing year on Leeside will be the County Championships which will take place in February. However, the County Board have pencilled in two other important tournaments to take place in December and January.

In December a senior boxing tournament will be held in Mallow. This is to mark the centenary of a famous boxing event in 1924. In that tournament, Paddy Buckley senior competed in the town hall in Doneraile. The billboard from this tournament one hundred years ago is currently on display at the Tomás McCurtain Museum.

From that year the only Cork club who are still affiliated today is the Glen Boxing Club. For this tournament Glen BC will organise the event in conjunction with the board. 

This tournament will honour the outstanding contribution of the Buckley family from Mallow who have given over half a century to the development of Cork boxing. Board secretary John Wiseman said: "It is important that this board must always reflect on our sporting heritage from the past and tournaments such as this will contribute to embellish the treasured history of boxing in Cork." 

The second tournament will take place in January. This will be open to all boxers from underage to senior. It will be known as the Cork Olympic Festival of Boxing. Last year's event was an outstanding success and at the request of the clubs this tournament will now become part of the Cork boxing calendar, in early January each year.

Meanwhile next month each of the clubs who won the Cork Club of the Year award since 2017 will be presented with a plaque. These are the clubs who were presented with the Victor J Aston Cup. 

The sponsor Dan O'Connell, a former president of the board said: "It is important for any club who have achieved the status of Cork Club of the Year to have a record of that success on the wall of their club. This will encourage the young boxers and also members to feel proud of what their club has achieved." 

European elite bronze medallist Christina Desmond will also be honoured for her remarkable national elite success and for representing Ireland as the junior Olympian in China in 2013. 

Elsewhere, board secretary John Wiseman said the AGM of the board will take place as usual in September. However, he wishes to remind clubs that a special meeting to discuss an important and outstanding matter must be discussed by the delegates before the AGM. The dates of these meetings will be announced on Monday, September 2.

CONTRIBUTION

The Cork Ex Boxers Association will hold the AGM on Tuesday, September 19. Now in their 53rd year, this association has played a major role in complementing the work of the county board.

Originally when formed in 1972, the charter of the association was to encourage former boxers to rejoin clubs and provide their experience from their past to the benefit of the clubs. The CEBA Cork Ex Boxers Association were also set up to assist boxers who had fallen on hard times through sickness or injury. 

For many years they helped many who were experiencing financial difficulties. Over the years thousands of pounds were raised and this helped boxing families who faced destitution and hardship. 

The spirit of the Cork Ex Boxers Association was very prominent in Cork during the 1970s and '80s. During those halcyon years, CEBA had over 70 members and built up an infinity with the Dublin and Belfast associations.

Cork's former boxers held their first meeting in late September 1972. The venue was Canty's bar in Pembrooke Street, where over 35 retired boxers attended. The aims and aspirations of the new association were explained by former internationals Paddy Martin and Tim O'Sullivan. 

This new concept received widespread approval from all. Few at that meeting back then would have believed that what they were starting would still be flourishing over 50 years later.

One of the big occasions for the Cork Ex Boxers will be coming up next year. The new Cork boxing wall will be unveiled at the refurbished Bishop Lucey Park. The city centre park now designed in a plaza format will have the boxing wall as a focal point. 

A new feature of this wall will be plaque with a QR code. This amenity will provide visitors to the boxing wall with an opportunity to reflect on the history of Cor's boxing past.

This plaque will richly enhance the history of boxing on Leeside over the last 150 years.