IABA NEWS - Joyce joins Miami in WSB

IRISH AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION
Joyce Joins Miami in WSB - Bernard O'Neill

Irish senior champion John Joe Joyce has signed with Miami Gallos in the World Series of Boxing (WSB).

The 23-year-old welterweight flew out to the USA this morning (January 10th) to team up with the Florida side in the WSB Americas group.

Joyce, nicknamed Triple J, will join his Irish team-mate Ken Egan at Miami Gallos on a one year contract.

The four-time Irish senior champion and Egan were part of the five man squad which claimed Ireland's only medals (one silver, two bronze) at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Joyce, who boxes out of the St Michael's Athy club in Kildare, was eliminated on a countback at the last-16 stage in Beijing to Felix Diaz of the Dominican Republic who went on to win gold in the light-welterweight category.

"I'm looking forward to meeting the Miami team and hopefully I can do well for Miami when I'm there. The World Series of Boxing is a new direction for me and it promises to be very exciting,"
said Joyce, who claimed a bronze medal at the 2008 European Championships in Liverpool.

Miami Gallos are competing in a 4-team WSB group which includes Los Angeles Matadors, Memphis Force and Mexico City Guerreros.

LA are presently top of the table, four points ahead of Miami. Both sides are due to meet in back-to-back fixtures on January 13th/27th.

The winners in the Americas, Asian and European WSB groups - which will be decided over 12 matches - plus the best runners up qualify for the WSB semi-finals.

Meanwhile, John Joe Nevin's Paris United side and Milan are joint top of the European group.

Both sides recorded convincing 4-1 wins over Istanbulls and Kremlin Bears (Moscow) last weekend and are tied on 13 points after five matches ahead of back-to-back meetings this month.

Paris have a slight two bout advantage - WSB boxing's equivalent of goal difference - at the top of the table.

Belfast middleweight Eamon O'Kane joined Milan last week and could be selected to meet Paris, who will have Nevin in their line up, when both sides clash in Paris this Friday night.

Irish Amateur Boxing Association Awards

IABA AWARDS BY BERNARD O'NEILL

Katie Taylor and the European Senior Championships medal winning quintet of Paddy Barnes, Darren O'Neill, Eric Donovan, Tyrone McCullagh and Ken Egan shared the Elite Achievement Award as the IABA celebrated another outstanding year at its Annual Awards Night at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel in Dublin last night.

Taylor, the current World, European, EU and Irish champion and AIBA World female boxer of the year, and Barnes, the reigning European, Commonwealth and Irish champion and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, also shared the Best Overall Boxer award.

Current AIBA World Youth and Olympic Youth champions Joe Ward and Ryan Burnett had their remarkable achievements in 2010 recognised, while the Ryston BC in Kildare scooped the Best club and Best coaches awards in a year which sees the IABA celebrate its 100th birthday.

European bronze medalist and Irish senior champion Eric Donovan picked up the Elite boxer award. "I've have a fantastic twelve months and I'll be looking to improve on that this year, said the St Michael's
Athy lightweight. "It's always special to receive an award like this and to receive it in the Association's centenary year is extra special."

Meanwhile, Jim McCourt was inducted into the IABA Hall of Fame.

McCourt, boxing out of the Immaculata BC in Belfast, won a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1965 European Championships. He also claimed Commonwealth gold in Jamaica in 1966 and seven Irish senior titles at three different weights in a stellar career spanning the 1960s and 1970s.

The Northern Ireland team were also honoured following their unprecedented haul of three gold and two silver medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Geesala prospect Katie Rowland, a silver medal winner at the European Youth Championships, was back on top of the podium along with nine other boxers in the Schoolboy/girl Youth International category.

Sean Crowley was also inducted into the IABA Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding contribution as an administrator to Ireland's most successful Olympic sport, while Anna Moore and Al Morris got the decision in the best Referee & Judge category.

Last night's ceremony was attended by Dr John Lynch, Chairman of the IABA Board of Directors, IABA CEO Don Stewart, John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council and Pat Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland and IABA Director of Boxing Dominic O'Rourke. RTE's Jimmy Magee acted as MC on the night.

IABA President Tommy Murphy said that Ireland's boxers were a credit to their country, adding that the achievements of 2010, one of which saw Ireland finish in second spot behind powerhouses Russia in the medals table at the European Championships, marked Ireland out as one of the top amateur boxing nations in the world.

Log onto www.iaba.ie




Awards


Elite Achievement Awards
Katie Taylor
Paddy Barnes,
Darren O'Neill
Ken Egan
Eric Donovan
Tyrone McCullagh

International Achievement Awards
David Oliver Joyce
Philip Sutcliffe
Ross Hickey
Roy Sheahan
John Joe Nevin
Willie McLaughlin
Jason Quigley
Sean Turner

A Team
Niall Murray

Commonwealth Games Medalists
Paddy Barnes
Patrick Gallagher
Eamon O'Kane
Tommy McCarthy
Steven Ward

Schoolboy/girl Youth International Awards
John Joe Joyce
Wayne Kelly
Michael Gallagher
Christina Gargan
Katie Rowland
Nichole Meli
Micheala Walsh
Sarah Close
Claire Grace

AIBA World Youth Championships
Joe Ward
Ryan Burnett

Youth Olympics
Ryan Burnett

Individual Awards
Schoolboy: Bernard McDonagh
Youth: Christy Joyce
Junior: Stephen Broadhurst
U/21: Kieran Forde
Intermediate: Sean Allen
Elite: Eric Donovan
Best Club: Ryston
Best Coach(s): Ryston
Referee & Judge: Anna Moore/ Al Morris
Achievement award: Zuar Antia

Hall of Fame
Jim McCourt
Sean Crowley