Fouhy aims to pack a punch for Ireland

MICHAEL FOUHY faces the biggest assignment of his boxing career when he represents Ireland at heavyweight at the multi-nations tournament in Ballybunion this week.

The tournament, which features teams from Russia, Poland, Sweden, Scotland, Wales and Germany, gets under way tonight at the Tinteán Centre (7.30pm) and continues tomorrow, with the semi-finals on Thursday and the finals on Friday.

For Mike Fouhy, who joins nationals senior champion Ian Timms as one of two heavyweights on the team, it could be a dream debut.

Although 29 years old, he is a comparative newcomer to the Irish scene.

He did not take up boxing until six years ago, when he was working in Chicago and he admits he could hardly have found a tougher city in the world to learn the trade.

“You learn pretty quickly there,” he said. “You get plenty of fights - one a week - and that means plenty of experience.”

When he returned to his native Castlelyons, he based himself at the nearby St Colman’s Boxing Club in Shanagarry.

“They had boxers like Eanna Falvey and were used to catering for the heavier weights,” he said.

“Maurice Walsh is a terrific coach. He is used to coaching big fellows.”

He boxed the senior championships last year and ended up boxing off for third and fourth places, losing to the talented Donegal man, John Sweeney from Dunloe, by just one point.

He built on last season but he hardly expected the opportunity to box for Ireland to arrive at this point.

“I am thrilled,” he said.

“It is my first international and it will be a big part of my preparation for the senior championships in January.”

Walsh is one of the coaches to the Irish team, along with Christy McKenna and Benny Harkin.

Walsh is one of the great characters of Irish boxing. A former semi-pro footballer in Providence, Rhode Island, he became involved in boxing when he moved back to Shanagarry, and three of his sons, led by Billy, the 1994 senior light welterweight champion, who was unbeaten in this country for a several of years, won numerous Irish titles.

Kevin beat Timms for the national senior middleweight title in 2000 while Patrick is a former national senior finalist.

The Irish team will feature a number of national champions. Timms (St Matthews), who partners Fouhy at heavyweight, is the reigning national champion at that weight.

Derek Thorpe (St Aidan’s Wexford), who beat Carl Frampton (Midland/White City) for the flyweight title, joins David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s, Athy) at bantamweight.

Joyce, who boxed in the European junior championships, is this year’s bantamweight champion and will be fancied to win the gold.

Frampton is the sole representative at flyweight while Jimmy Moore (St Francis, Limerick), who lost to Conor Ahern in the finals of the national senior championships, will be joined by Paddy Barnes at light fly.

Eamonn O’Kane will be joined by Edward Healy at 75kgs and Darren O’Neill is the light heavyweight representative.

The Irish team is: 48kg, P Barnes, J Moore; 51kg, C Frampton; 54kg, DO Joyce, D Thorpe; 57kg, R Hickey; 60kg, JJ Joyce; 64kg, A Carlyle, DA Joyce; 75kg, E O’Kane, E Healy; 81kg, D O’Neill; 91kg, I Timms, M Fouhy.