Sport

Senior boxing championship venue switch is sign of the times

Paul McMahon pointed to the success of the 2013 seniors in Derry as a reason for taking this year's finals to Newry 
Paul McMahon pointed to the success of the 2013 seniors in Derry as a reason for taking this year's finals to Newry  Paul McMahon pointed to the success of the 2013 seniors in Derry as a reason for taking this year's finals to Newry 

THE president of the Ulster Boxing Council has defended the decision to hold this year’s Ulster Senior Championship finals in Newry – and has bemoaned the fact that the sport’s top stars are unlikely to be involved.

Once the showpiece event of the boxing calendar in the north, local fight fans well remember nights at the Ulster Hall when the biggest names in the local game would go toe-to-toe before packed houses.

In recent years, though, the Ulster seniors has lost some of its lustre.

The Ulster Council was criticised last year for hosting the finals at the Dockworkers’ Club in Belfast, and some eyebrows were raised after it was confirmed that this year’s Ulster finals would be held in Bellini’s nightclub in Newry on November 12. The the preliminary rounds and semi-finals will again be in the Dockers from November 9-11.

Ulster president Paul McMahon admitted the lack of availability of a suitable venue in Belfast was an issue, but pointed to the success of the 2013 Ulster seniors in Derry as a reason for taking this year’s finals to Newry.

“We represent the nine counties of Ulster,” said McMahon.

“We went to Derry in 2013 and we’re open to offers. Yes, there’s a big boxing scene in Belfast, but it’s not just all about Belfast.

“All of our championships have been rotated around the province, and we got an offer from people down in Newry who put forward a deal with sponsorship and a venue which we agreed is suitable.

“We checked out some of the venues around Belfast and they weren’t available. You can’t get the City Hall, you can’t get the Ulster Hall because of the Ulster orchestra’s commitments. The Europa [hotel] wasn’t available.

“We took a lot of stick last year for going back to the Dockers… well, Bellini’s will be £15 in for adults, £5 for kids. Unless you’re coming from Donegal, you can be in Newry in an hour and 20 minutes.

“People coming from Belfast can be there in 30 or 40 minutes.”

With Olympic qualifying events taking place next year, the Irish Senior Championships have also been moved back to November.

Indeed the women’s event begins in Dublin the day after the Ulster finals, with the men’s championships running from November 21-December 11.

The scheduling is not ideal, admits McMahon.

The proximity to the Irish seniors – as well as the AIBA World Championships in Doha, which finishes just three weeks before the Ulsters start – means that, once again, many of the local fight scene’s big names are unlikely to be in Newry on finals night.

The Ulster president admits it is frustrating that the likes of Olympic medallists Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan won’t feature, remarking that boxing has changed “and unfortunately not all for the better”.

McMahon continued: “We don’t have world class athletes like Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan entering the Ulster seniors.

“Paddy and Michael both went to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – they didn’t enter the Ulster Championships. We know they are our outstanding athletes but we don’t have them.

“People look back at the past through rose-tinted glasses and I remember those days too, I was part of it. I boxed on Ulster senior finals night. But boxing has evolved, and unfortunately not all for the better.”