Boxing fraternity mourns shooting victim

BOXING was John Mahon’s life, friends said yesterday. The self-employed painter and decorator had been involved in Irish amateur boxing for more than 45 years and was one of the sport’s most prominent and well-respected figures.

In January, the 60-year-old separated father-of-five was named the country’s job boxing judge by Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) officials. He picked up his award at a ceremony in Dublin on January 13.

It put him in the running to be elected to the European Amateur Boxing Association panel of judges. But he devoted most of his energy to Fermoy Boxing Club.

Mr Mahon, the eldest of 11 children and a native of Fermoy, ran as an independent candidate in the 2004 local elections in an effort to highlight Fermoy Boxing Club’s efforts to secure a permanent club house. He failed to get elected.

He handed out awards in Fermoy on Friday night after a juvenile tournament organised by the club and attended another tournament in Clonmel on Saturday afternoon, just hours before he was shot dead.

His lifelong friend Mick Jordan, who boxed with him in the early years and who went to school with him at Barrack Hill, said the person who shot Mr Mahon did it in cold blood.

“You wouldn’t do it to a dog,” he said.

He praised his friend for the work he had done for young boxers.

“There is great credit due to him for looking after the younger lads, especially Travellers, when a lot of people wouldn’t take them under their wing,” he said.

“He struggled for years to get a proper home for Fermoy Boxing club. They had no ring, not even a place to put up a punch bag. It’s amazing what he did with the little resources he had.

“John would call a spade a spade. He was very straight; behind it all though he was very genuine and he was a very good friend of mine.”

The men worked together as security guards in the former Cronin’s hotel in Charleville and the Talk of the South Disco in Fermoy.

Mr Mahon, a former soldier, was credited with spearheading the revival of amateur boxing in Munster.

A former Irish middle weight champion in the 60s, he later became president of the Munster branch of the IABA. Ten years ago he became its vice president.

He trained 22 Irish champions, including his nephew Declan Higgins, a soldier who won two national senior championships and scores of Cork and Munster boxing champions. It was in the drive of Declan’s mother’s house that he died.

IABA president Dominic O’Rourke said the Irish boxing community was “absolutely devastated” following Mr Mahon’s death.

A minute’s silence was observed at the Leinster boxing championships in Athy yesterday. “It’s a very sad day for us,” Mr O’Rourke said.

“It’s an absolute tragedy. John was vice president of the association for the last 10 years and had done tremendous work. It’s down to him that boxing underwent a rival in Munster. It’s a sad, sad day to loose a man of his calibre.”