Boxing: Irish team in camp ahead of World Championships
05 Oct 2007
IRISH AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION
Super heavyweight Cathal McMonagle is taking a two day rest from training at the Irish squads training camp at the Oder Sports Complex in Frankfurt Germany.
The Holy Trinity Belfast ace, a silver medal winner at last Junes European Union Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin, has picked up a slight cold and is being rested as a precaution.
The Bulgarian national team, and a Russian squad, joined Germany and Ireland in Frankfurt this week and the four countries will take part in a test match tomorrow.
All four nations are preparing for the AIBA 2007 World Championships which begin with at the University of Illinois in Chicago on October 23rd.
Over 120 countries, represented by nearly 700 boxers will be competing in Chicago, making the Championships, which will also act as the first qualifier for the 2008 Olympics, the biggest in world amateur boxing history.
The City of Chicago along with the organizing committee for the AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007 today unveiled one of five, eight-foot statues—nicknamed “K.O. Joe”—that will be popping up around Chicago over the next month to help promote the Championships, (visit www.aiba.net).
Meanwhile, High Performance Director Gary Keegan is very pleased with the way the Irish squads training camp is going in Germany.
He said: "Cathal picked up a slight cold and we are resting him as a precaution. We have no injury problems out here and everything is going according to plan.
"The squad will take part in a test match against Germany, Russia and Bulgaria tomorrow and that is something we are looking forward as the objective of this trip is to fine tune our preparations for the World Championships."
The Irish squad are under coaches Billy Walsh, Zuar Antia and Jim Moore in Frankfurt.
Darren O'Neill and Carl Frampton, under coach Tony Davitt, will leave the squad for a Multi Nations tournament in Cyprus on October 11th.
The remaining eleven man Irish squad in Germany will then return home on October 12th before travelling to Chicago on October 16th.
The Irish squad and management will be staying at Palmer House Hotel in Chicago for the duration of the 2007 AIBA World Senior Championships.
Irish Squad for Frankfurt Germany Training Camp October 1st /12th:
48Kg: Paddy Barnes (Holy Family GG) 51Kg: Conor Ahern (Baldoyle) 54Kg: Ryan Lindberg (Immaculata) 57Kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael's Athy) Carl Frampton (Midlands White City) 60Kg: Eric Donovan (St Michael's Athy) 64Kg: John Joe Joyce (St Michael's Athy) 69Kg: Roy Sheahan (St Michael's Athy) 75Kg: Darren Sutherland (St Saviours OBA) Darren O'Neill (Paulstown) 81Kg: Ken Egan (Neilstown) 91Kg: John Sweeney (Dungloe) 91+Kg: Cathal McMonagle (Holy Trinity)
Irish World Championships Squad Chicago: October 23rd/November 3rd:
48Kg: Paddy Barnes (Holy Family GG) 51Kg: Conor Ahern (Baldoyle) 54Kg: Ryan Lindberg (Immaculata) 57Kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael's Athy) 60Kg: Eric Donovan (St Michael's Athy) 64Kg: John Joe Joyce (St Michael's Athy) 69Kg: Roy Sheahan (St Michael's Athy) 75Kg: Darren Sutherland (St Saviours OBA) 81Kg: Ken Egan (Neilstown) 91Kg: John Sweeney (Dungloe) 91+Kg: Cathal McMonagle (Holy Trinity)
Irish Multi Nations Squad Cyprus October 11th/18th:
57Kg:Carl Frampton (Midlands White City) 75Kg:Darren O'Neill (Paulstown)