Sport

Seconds Out: Ulster boxing stalwarts honoured at IABA awards

Paddy Graham (right) and Harry Cunningham (middle) pictured with, from left, Peter Graham, Harry Cunningham jr and Liam Cunningham at Saturday night's IABA annual awards dinner
Paddy Graham (right) and Harry Cunningham (middle) pictured with, from left, Peter Graham, Harry Cunningham jr and Liam Cunningham at Saturday night's IABA annual awards dinner Paddy Graham (right) and Harry Cunningham (middle) pictured with, from left, Peter Graham, Harry Cunningham jr and Liam Cunningham at Saturday night's IABA annual awards dinner

TWO stalwarts of Ulster boxing were honoured for their years of dedication to the fight game at the Irish Athletic Boxing Association’s annual awards dinner in Dublin last Saturday night.

Paddy Graham remains a cornerstone of the Clonard club in west Belfast and was awarded for his services to Ulster boxing, with Harry Cunningham of the Saints club in Twinbrook recognised for his service to the County Antrim Board through the decades.

“My daddy’s been involved in boxing for 66 years,” said Paddy Graham jr, a coach at Clonard.

“He was approached by the Ulster Council a few weeks ago, they nominated him and it’s a great honour for him. He went down to Dublin on Friday with my mum, my brother and my two sisters and it gave him a real lift.

“He doesn’t do pads any more but he walks around the bags and spots all mistakes, he’s brilliant at it. My daddy has a great boxing intelligence, he can just see things or points out that most people wouldn’t notice.

“The kids all have a lot of respect for him – he’s like that Godfather in the club. They all come to him and they all love him.”

Graham was a decorated amateur during his own fighting days, winning a European bronze medal, and boxed 29 times in a pro career that took him to the likes of Italy, Australia and Ghana.

“He won a title every single year, from 11 right up to senior,” added Graham jr.

“The amount of experience he has is unbelievable, and what he doesn’t know about boxing isn’t worth knowing. As he says himself, it’s all he’s ever known.

“He wasn’t great at school, but his education was in boxing, and we’ve all been lucky enough to benefit from that through the years.

“I was delighted for him getting that award, I really was.”

Cunningham, likewise, has been involved in boxing for over 60 years, having represented the St Matthew’s club in his youth, making it to Ulster and Irish elite finals.

He started his coaching career in the Short Strand too before being offered the role of head coach at Saints - where he remains treasurer to this day - helping guide many county, provincial and national champions along the way, as well as being involved with Irish teams at all levels.

The highlight of his coaching career arrived in 1999 when sons Harry and Liam became the first pair of brothers since the 1960s to win Ulster and Irish elite titles in the same year.

Liam also claimed Commonwealth silver at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpar, with Harry landing a silver medal at the World junior championships the same year.

As a member of the County Antrim Board, he has assumed the role of match-maker when teams take on international opposition, helping nurture some of the top emerging talent in the north along the way.

As well as Graham and Cunningham, Sean Crowley - a former secretary of the Association - was inducted into the IABA hall of fame for his outstanding service to boxing.

“Sean has given tremendous service for many years, and he thoroughly deserves this award as one of the great servants of Irish boxing,” said IABA president Dominic O’Rourke.

The association also took the opportunity to laud the stars of the future following a promising year.

Ireland’s boxers, from elite to schoolboy/girl, claimed 40 medals in European championship competition last year and finished in top 10 positions in the medals table in all continental competitions entered.

Domestically, two elite championships were completed in February and November and the country’s top underage prospects shone on the national stage.

“Our athletes performed magnificently in international competition in 2019 and congratulations to the boxers, their clubs and coaches and all concerned for a tremendously successful year,” added O’Rourke.

“Here at home we also had a busy year with two national elite championships to prepare for the qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 and our various other national championships where we saw top-class talent emerging.”

Tyrone teenager Jude Gallagher was named best elite male after storming to the flyweight title in his first go at the Irish elites, with Daina Moorehouse the top elite female.

Donegal’s Matthew McCole picked up the award for best senior boxer, Locky Gannon the referee/judge of the year, while Olympic, Mullingar was named top club.

Tony Davitt and Fergal Redmond were recognised for their service to boxing on a national level.

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Referee Michael Hawkins jr looks on as Martin Doherty (left) of Holy Trinity and Clonard’s Damien McGuigan entertain a packed out Trinity Lodge during a night of exhibition bouts. Picture by Mark Marlow
Referee Michael Hawkins jr looks on as Martin Doherty (left) of Holy Trinity and Clonard’s Damien McGuigan entertain a packed out Trinity Lodge during a night of exhibition bouts. Picture by Mark Marlow Referee Michael Hawkins jr looks on as Martin Doherty (left) of Holy Trinity and Clonard’s Damien McGuigan entertain a packed out Trinity Lodge during a night of exhibition bouts. Picture by Mark Marlow

LEFT HOOKS

The dates for this summer’s European schoolboy/schoolgirl championships, which are to be held in Belfast, have been confirmed for June 27-July 10.

A venue has yet to be confirmed, although the new Brook Leisure Centre in Twinbrook looks to be the front-runner.

It will be the first major international boxing tournament the city has hosted since the 2001 World Championships, which included future stars such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, David Haye and Carl Froch.

The success of the Irish application was confirmed at a European Boxing Confederation (EUBC) conference in Antalya, Turkey last month, which was attended by Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) president Dominic O’Rourke and Belfast boxing strategy development officer Liam Corr.

Hopes are high that it could pave the way for future tournaments to be hosted in the north, with Corr saying at the time of announcement: “By hosting the European schoolboy/schoolgirl championships, this is us dipping our toes in the water.

“We want this to lead onto bigger tournaments – a World Championships, an Olympic qualifier, a European Championships.

“We made that clear to the EUBC, that within the next five to 10 years we want to host a major tournament in Belfast. We’re very keen to do that after this one and, provided everything goes well, which I’m sure it will, I don’t see any reason why that couldn’t be done.”

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HOLY Trinity’s John McConnell bids to clock up a fifth win in four weeks as he targets the Irish U18 Championship title at the National Stadium last Friday night.

McConnell has already defeated Eoghan Quinn (St John’s, Derry), Culainn Sheedy (St Mary’s, Dublin), Thomas McCann (St Paul’s, Antrim) and Cahir Gormley (Illies GG) to reach the lightweight decider.

And the 2018 European youth bronze medallist goes into Friday’s final against Kilcullen’s Aodhan Byrne full of confidence ahead of what he hopes will be a big year.

Elsewhere, St Paul’s prospect Dylan Eagleson will face Letterkenny’s Paddy McShane in the light-flyweight class, while Gleann’s Martin Brady-McCullough takes on Jack Connors (St David’s, Naas) for the 56kg title.

Raphoe’s Leah Gallen, fresh from her semi-final win over Bracken’s Dominika Gulli, will go toe-to-toe with Crumlin’s Shelby Myers at welterweight.

Irish U18 Championship finals

Friday (6.30pm)

W42kg: C Blake (Ardagh/Crossmolina) WO

W46kg: N Buckley (St Carthage’s) WO

46kg: B Collins (East Down) WO

W48kg: C Lafferty (Raphoe) v B Quilligan (Rathkeale)

49kg: P McShane (Letterkenny) v D Eagleson (St Paul’s, Antrim)

W51kg: C Gabriel (Mulhuddart) v R Lawless (Portlaoise)

52kg: B Saunders (Dublin Docklands) v J Rapple (Monkstown, Dublin)

W54kg: N Fay (Swords) WO

56kg: J Connors (St David’s, Naas) v M Brady-McCullough (Gleann)

W57kg: D Coogan (Marble City) WO

W60kg: K Attewell (Tobar Pheadair) v EM Gartland (Clonmel)

60kg: A Byrne (Kilcullen) v J McConnell (Holy Trinity)

W64kg: L Murphy (Togher) v N O’Sullivan (Corinthians)

64kg: M Tyndall (Dublin Docklands) v J McDonagh (St Paul’s, Waterford)

W69kg: S Myers (Crumlin) v L Gallen (Raphoe)

69kg: J Whelan (Dublin Docklands) v W Hayden (Crumlin)

W75kg: L O’Rourke (Castlerea) WO

75kg: E Lavin (Ballyhaunis) v P Lawlor (Brian Dillon’s)

W81kg: M Potter (Gateway) v B Doocey (Castlebar)

81kg: J Myers (Titans) v E Samba (Four Kings)

91kg: J Ward (Brosna) v J Marley (Monkstown, Dublin)

91+kg: N Ivanauskas (St David’s Naas) v Patrick Myers (Sligo City)