Dublin bids for World Boxing Championships

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) are hoping to celebrate their centenary year by staging the 2011 World Senior Championships in Dublin.

IABA president Dominic O'Rourke said yesterday that they had already sent a letter to world boxing chiefs the (AIBA) outlining their request to stage the championships at the National Stadium in 2011.

He said: "We have written to the AIBA with our request to host the 2011 world senior championships and will be making a more formal application to the AIBA early in the new year to stage the tournament."

If the IABAs bid to host the championships on it's 100th birthday is successful then it could have a double significance.

This year the AIBA announced that next September's world championships in Moscow will act as one of the qualifiers for 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Boxers reaching the quarter finals in Russia will qualify automatically for the 2008 Olympics with additional qualifying tournaments to be announced after Moscow.

Likewise if the IABA are successful in their bid to hold the 2011 world senior championships in Dublin then that tournament will act as one of the qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

St Saviours OBA middleweight Darren Sutherland reached the quarter finals of the World Senior Championships in Mianyang City, China last year.

St Michael's Athy welterweight Roy Sheahan and Neilstown light heavyweight Ken Egan reached the last sixteen at the same tournament but Sheahan agonisingly lost out on a countback to Bulgaria's, Magomed Nurudinov, and Egan was beaten by Sweden's, Babacar Kamara.

Meanwhile, the IABA will stage the EU Championships at the Stadium in June next year. Boxing fans can purchase season tickets for every tournament at the Stadium in 2007 for €100.

The IABAs Award night will be held at the Ringside Club adjacent to the Stadium on January 13th next. For ticket information on the awards night and season tickets ring [phone].