National Elites mark beginning of the end for boxing's exile from the ring

Carol Coughlan, Tullow-born but boxing out of Monkstown Boxing Club, will touch gloves with Crumlin’s Courtney Daly to mark the return of the sport in Ireland

Carol Coughlan, Tullow-born but boxing out of Monkstown Boxing Club, will touch gloves with Crumlin’s Courtney Daly to mark the return of the sport in Ireland

At 7pm Friday evening, the bell will ring inside the National Stadium on Dublin’s South Circular Road for the first time in over 18 months and Carol Coughlan, Tullow-born but boxing out of Monkstown Boxing Club, will touch gloves with Crumlin’s Courtney Daly.

TG4 is broadcasting every second of this year’s National Elite Championships, either on TV or via its YouTube channel. If most eyes will be on the finals then the opening women’s light-flyweight preliminary bout is the one that will signal a massive step forward for sport in Ireland.