Cork boxers look forward to the upcoming Munster championships in Dungarvan 

The past week marked a hectic seven days in the Cork boxing cycle, with boxers, coaches, and administrators representing Leeside with distinction, both at home and abroad.

Following the very successful Cork County Board Boxing championships, the next campaign for clubs is the Munster championships. 

These will be completed over the next few weekends, and this year’s venue is the community hall in Dungarvan. 

County Board secretary John Wiseman has extended best wishes to all Cork boxers competing. 

Following the provincial championships the focus of all clubs and boxers will be the national championships at the National Stadium in Dublin. 

This is the holy grail as all athletes chase that elusive All-Ireland title.

Elsewhere, last Thursday night at a very pleasant function held once again at the Metropole Hotel, the winner of the Echo Women In Sport annual overall winner was announced. 

Boxing was represented by Donna McCarthy from The Mayfield Boxing Club. 

Donna qualified as one of the 12 finalists, having won the award for the month of February following her glorious success in winning an All-Ireland title in splendid fashion during a never to be forgotten record year for the Mayfield Boxing Club.

On the night, Donna was amongst a very select band of Cork athletes representing many sports. 

This year, the overall winner and Cork woman athlete of the year was Nicola Tuthill, the track and field athlete who made a big impression on the international stage, and she was warmly congratulated by all following her selection to the very prestigious Echo Women in Sport accolade.

Meanwhile, while the Cork Championships were taking recently, St Martha’s BC boxer Claire Crowley was representing club and county at the Ireland Future's Cup, an event which took place at The National Stadium.

Following some great displays Claire won the gold medal and is recorded as Cork's first Futures Cup champion. 

In the final, Claire, an Irish international boxer, drew on all her experience and secured the victory following a 3-2 split decision over a very game opponent, Madina Bagirova from the Smithfield BC. 

This has been a great year for the 60kg champion and the president of the board Michael O'Brien congratulated her on her most recent victory.

Last Friday, the Irish international youth team travelled to Glasgow to compete in an international test match against Scotland. 

This was an international team where Cork provided two team members and the team manager. 

Aine McLoughlin from the Sparton Boxing Club in her capacity of team manager was on her first mission abroad and the reports suggest she did a first-class job. 

The Golden Gloves Boxing Club, who are enjoying an absolutely phenomenal year, had two of their boxers selected on the team, one of whom was the captain Leah Cairns, and the second was William Heaphy, who recorded another spectacular win displaying craft style allied to a combination of fast-paced punching. 

This was a very good international, and Cork can be proud of their contribution.

Outside of the ring, Zaur Antia, the most successful Irish boxing coach in the history of the sport travelled to the City by the Lee last Friday for a lunch hosted by Dan O'Connell, the man who was directly responsible for guiding the boxing messiah from Georgia to these shores. 

For many years O'Connell was a very influential operator on the Irish boxing landscape and gave many years of service as president of the Cork County Boxing Board and later as president of the Munster Council. 

Dan was also renowned as an international referee where he enjoyed the confidence of boxing officials throughout the world. 

While on international duty twenty-three years ago, O’Connell observed the technique Antia was displaying, he could see this was very effective set of tactics and it was yielding great success for boxers under Antia's charge. 

After protracted dialogue Dan lured Antia back to Cork.

In the beginning the two men were like bookies up the greyhound track, as it was only all sign language as the Georgian had only two words of English ‘ice cream`.

Subsequently Antia was employed as an assistant coach by the IABA and the rest is history. Recently he retired and was immediately head hunted from boxing associations throughout the world. 

Antia presided over a golden period in Irish boxing three Olympic gold medals, Katie Taylor and two from double Olympic champion Kellie Harrington with a further eight silver and bronze Olympic medals won over four Olympiads.

Allied to this many world titles were won under Antia's coaching. Success in world and European championships for all ranks in Irish boxing and it can be safely said it will be very difficult for any Irish coach of the future emulating what the Georgian has achieved. 

In January 2023, Zaur Antia was honoured by the Cork county at a boxing breakfast and later that year he was presented with the inaugural president’s award by the Olympic Council of Ireland.

It is widely acclaimed in Irish boxing circles that if it were not for Zaur the sport in and of itself, would never have achieved the dizzy heights of international success. 

It is generally believed in Cork if it were not for Dan O'Connell's decisive action many years ago, the sport in Ireland would only be a pale shadow of the premier position it enjoys today as Ireland's most successful Olympic Sport.