An Taoiseach, Micheàl Martin, to present the Paddy "the champ" Martin Cup to two club boxers

Saturday next will be another proud day for the Golden Gloves Boxing Club as An Taoiseach, Micheàl Martin, will be presenting the Paddy "the champ" Martin Cup to two club boxers.

This presentation will take place in the Tomàs MacCurtain Boxing Museum at the Glen Boxing Club in Blackpool. 

Over the last 12 years this prestigious cup has been presented on an annual basis. 

However, this year will see a double celebration Kuba Pielesz was selected during the 2024/25 season following an outstanding year in adult ranks and went on to win a national senior title for Golden Gloves. 

The Martin Cup was to be presented to him on the 1st of November, however on that date he was boxing in the United States. 

Due to the Taoiseach's busy work schedule both at home and abroad the next diary date available is on Saturday next.

In the interim, the selection of the 2025/26 cup recipient took place and following a phenomenal year of success on the international circuit and winning multiple All-Ireland titles William Heaphy had few peers to match his majestic year of pugilistic glory. 

Every winner of this cup has enjoyed a great boxing career and five of the past winners are now plying their trade in the professional ranks. 

These include Christina Desmond, Stephen Cairns, Cathal Crowley, Aaron O'Donoghue, and moving forward now is Kuba Pielesz.

Meanwhile, Hickey's Sporting Bar and Emporium in Dromahane will next Saturday night host the annual presentation of the Cork Boxing Coach of the Year Award.

This annual boxing road show will be headed up by Conal Thomas and his merry band of Fraternity Associates. 

This is the fourth year of the boxing brethren congregating to mix and mingle and enjoy a night of music, song and presentations. 

This year the coach of the year award will go to a very worthy recipient Tom O'Donnell from the Charleville BC. 

Over many years now Tom has done a superb job in coaching his charges to victory at every level of competition including county, provincial, and national success.

This past year, Tom has officiated as a referee and international coach, however it was the recent county championships where Tom once again excelled as an excellent coach and guided his boxers to achieve the status of the most successful club in the county championships. 

Last year they narrowly lost out to Mayfield BC but came thundering back this year to take the laurels and the Mannix Shield will for the next year rest in the shadows of the golden vale. 

Also, on Saturday night a further presentation will be made, and this is the Lifetime of Distinguished Service award, and the winner will be announced on the night.

Elsewhere, the Cork County Boxing Board will present a special centenary certificate to Sunnyside to mark their 100th year on the 1st of February next year. 

From its formation in 1927, the club recruited many boxers from the Blarney Street CBS School. 

In 1946, Tommy Hyde won an Irish elite title for the club, and this milestone laid the foundation for the future of the outfit. 

Sunnyside BC won many juvenile titles and were always a dominant force in Cork boxing, producing great local pound for pound boxers such as ‘The lion-hearted` Sean Coughlan.

However, when the late great coach Albie Murphy took the reins at the club in the mid-seventies, the club’s success flourished at all levels. 

The Sunnyside BC man had great ideas for the sport, and the club. 

Albie was also president of the Cork County Board and exercised great influence amongst the IABA in Dublin.

Sunnyside Boxing Club then entered a new era, from 1978 to the turn of the century, twenty-two years later, the club won an astonishing twenty elite titles, courtesy of Neilly Dunne, followed by Kieran Joyce with six titles, Michael Roche five, Paul Buttimer four and Gordon Joyce, four titles. 

The outstanding national elite success achieved by the club also saw the dawn of the Olympic dream for three of the club’s boxers.

Kieran Joyce, who was the only Cork boxer to win a European Elite Championship Medal in 1983, was selected to represent Ireland at the Olympic in Los Angeles in 1984. 

Unluckily, through a split decision, Kieran narrowly lost out on an Olympic bronze medalist.

For the next four years, Kieran Joyce dominated at national and international levels. 

Whenever he entered the ring at the National Stadium according to Dublin boxing observer Fran Long, the crowd went wild, Joyce was a big draw in the capital and the crowd loved him.

In 1988, Joyce was again selected for the Olympics in Seoul. 

Again, faith denied the Sunnyside boxer of an Olympic medal through another split decision. 

Four years later Sunnyside BC had another Olympic boxer; this time Paul Buttimer had the distinction of representing the club, however, after a lion-hearted display, Buttimer lost out to a Nigerian.

It would be eight years before the club would see another of its boxers at the Olympics. 

This was Michael Roche representing the club in Sydney in 2000. 

In the meantime, Albie Murphy had passed away and now the retired Kieran Joyce was the head coach at the illustrious club.