Ireland will take on Russia in two internationals at the end of this month the Irish Amateur Boxing Association have confirmed.

NATIONAL senior lightweight champion, John Joe Joyce, is moving up to the light-welterweight division and will miss the GeeBee multi-nations boxing tournament in Finland next week.

HIGH Performance Director, Gary Keegan, will be awaiting the results of a meeting in Thailand this week when boxing’s world governing body, AIBA, could decide a new venue for the World Championships, which take place later this year.

THE Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) have named an eight man squad of national senior champions for the Geebee Multi Nations in Finland next month.

IRELAND’S amateur boxers got off to a flying start in the multi-nations tournament in Zagreb — the Zlatio Hebid 2007 — yesterday with David Oliver Joyce particularly impressive in his fourth round stoppage of Amtomin Lazoc (Czech Republic) in a hard-hitting featherweight contest.

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association today named a six-man squad for the Felkis Stamm Senior Multi Nations tournament which will take place in Poland later this month.

JUST a couple of weeks after a sell-out event at the same venue, Rylane Boxing Club will stage another boxing extravaganza at the Riverside Park Hotel in Macroom on Friday, February 23.

DARREN O’NEILL tonight appears in an international vest at the National Stadium for the first time when he climbs into the ring against Poland.

DAVID OLIVER JOYCE claimed a valuable multi-nations gold medal in Ballybunion last night when he forced Dennis Makarov of Germany to take two standing counts before his corner threw in the towel in the third round of the bantamweight final.

DAVID OLIVER JOYCE is poised to become the star of the multi-nations boxing tournament in Ballybunion following another spectacular performance at the Tintean Theatre yesterday when he outpointed a teak tough Welshman, Matthew Edmonds, for a place in tonight’s finals.

ANDY LEE (St Francis) will be back in action at the National Stadium tomorrow night when the AIBA stage an action-packed international programme involving Germany at boys and junior level and Belgium at senior level, with 13 bouts in all down for decision.