Kellie Harrington chasing 12th national title on return from retirement

Reigning world champion Aoife O’Rourke goes up against Wexford’s Shauna Kearnery in the 75kg decider while her sister Lisa, herself a former world champ and silver medallist in 2025, is paired with Evelyn Igharo of Clann Naofa BC in Louth.

RETURN TO THE RING: Kellie Harrington is chasing her 12th title just months after confirming an end to the retirement she announced at Roland Garros in the summer of 2024 when she retained the Olympic title won three years earlier in Tokyo. Picture: ©INPHO/Dan Clohessy

Chances are it went mostly unnoticed by the wider sporting public, but the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA), an organization associated with far too many controversies down the years, remodelled itself as Boxing Ireland this week.

The rebrand was launched with a soundtrack of buzzwords on visibility, engagement and commercial growth. Liam Neeson, a champion fighter in his youth with Saints ABC Ballymena, narrated the video that was shared across the digital platforms.