Damian Kennedy named Ireland's interim boxing boss after Zaur Antia retirement

Antia pinpointed Kennedy as the most qualified person to succeed him.

HANDOVER: Irish boxing coaches Damian Kennedy and Zaur Antia. Pictures: IABA/Lowki Culture

Irish boxing has moved to fill the enormous hole left by the retirement of Zaur Antia by naming Damian Kennedy as interim high-performance head coach.

The Antrim man is the hot favourite to claim the role on a permanent basis when the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) completes its appointment process early next year.

Kennedy has been coaching at all levels for three decades. He was Northern Ireland head coach at the 2022 Commonwealth Games when they topped the medal table with a record number of podium finishes.

An Olympic coach, he has also held event-specific leadership roles at national level, including as head coach of Ireland team at the 2nd Olympic Qualifier in Bangkok when four boxers booked their seats on the plane to Paris where he also served ringside.

“It’s an honour to lead the national programme on an interim basis, to build on the legacy of boxing technical excellence learned from and with Zaur,” Kennedy said.

“He and I worked hand-in-glove to prepare boxers for the highest levels of competition across many years, ably assisted by High Performance coaches in Dublin and in Ulster.

“There’s an exciting and challenging competition period just around the corner and I look forward to further supporting IABA boxers in achieving their goals.” 

IABA high performance director Jon Mackey praised Kennedy’s athlete development talent ID contribution, athlete-first instincts, mentorship and strategic planning skills.

Chief executive Gary Stewart focused on the continuity it will bring to the high-achieving programme.

Antia himself pinpointed Kennedy as the most qualified person to succeed him when he brought almost 23 years of success in the role to an end last month.