Bell rings on box-off but medal winners call in sick

THIS may have been a box-off to select the team for the world championships and the first opportunity to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games but none of the recent medallists were in sight when the tournament got under way last night at the National Stadium.

Irish boxing’s two newly-crowned European champions, light welterweight Ray Moylette (St Anne’s, Westport) and light heavyweight sensation Joe Ward (Moate), were included on an injury list as long as your arm that also included Paddy Barnes, the Olympic bronze medallist and European and Commonwealth Games champion, Darren O’Neill (Paulstown), a European silver medallist last year, world bronze medallist John Joe Nevin (Cavan BC) and Willie McLaughlin (Ilies Golden Gloves).

Medical certs were handed in on their behalf to IABA secretary Sean Crowley at yesterday morning’s weigh-in — when 53 boxers went to the scales — and last night he reiterated his earlier comment that the officer board would be recommending the winners from this tournament are selected for the team to the central council meeting on Saturday week.