IRISH boxers have brought the country to heights not reached since Melbourne in 1956 as Darren Sutherland claimed a third Olympic medal in Beijing.

Steeped in the past achievements of legends like Barry McGuigan and Wayne McCullough, Ireland’s five-strong boxing squad heads to Beijing in fine shape to add their own chapter to their nation’s illustrious fighting history.

TWELVE months ago this week Darren O’Neill’s Olympic dream was shattered when he fractured his wrist while training for the national senior boxing championships.

Former world boxing champion 'Prince' Naseem Hamed has been stripped of his MBE, it emerged today.

CROKE PARK could be the venue if and when Bernard Dunne fights for a world title, his manager Brian Peters confirmed yesterday.

Top trainer Brendan Ingle has backed Ireland's Bernard Dunne to go on and become a world champion.

BERNARD DUNNE takes his boxing career to a new level when he fights former champion, Esham Pickering, for the European Super Bantamweight title at The Point tonight.

BERNARD DUNNE is under no illusion about the enormity of the task when he faces former champion, Esham Pickering, for the European Super Bantamweight title at The Point on November 11 where all the 7,000 available tickets are sold out.

DARREN SUTHERLAND insisted yesterday he is well on the road to a complete recovery following a career-threatening eye injury sustained during an international contest against Russia at the National Stadium earlier this year.

DARREN SUTHERLAND became something of a celebrity when he fought his way to the world amateur boxing championship quarter-finals in China just over a month ago.

BERNARD DUNNE is poised to box his way into possible contention for a shot at the European featherweight title at the National Stadium tonight, when victory over Yuri Voronin would earn him a place in the EBU’s top 10 rankings.

Francis Barrett made a significant breakthrough in European boxing circles in Nottingham, gaining a unanimous points decision over local favourite Gavin Down for the vacant European Union light welterweight title.