Boxing clever at Duhallow tournament
DUHALLOW Boxing Club Committee rolled out their very first boxing tournament last week in Kanturk and by all accounts it was a huge success. This inaugural event saw six clubs from all over Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary taking to the ring making for a fantastic evening of sport and fun.
The club, which was established in 2011 through an IRD Duhallow initiative, now boasts a membership of up to 100, with additional numbers of children and young people also participating in weekly training sessions in the club’s headquarters at the Autoroller complex in Kanturk.
Senior coach David Cotter from Banteer explained that Katie Taylor’s extreme popularity has led to an increased interest in boxing all over Ireland and particularly in north Cork.
“Katie’s success has led to a major interest in the sport, especially for women and girls and two of our members, Connie Vaughan and Shelley Thomas, have achieved major wins at national levels – we have several people who have won County and Munster Titles,” he said.
David outlined how the sport has changed immensely in recent years. “People often perceive boxing as a violent sport but it is actually very controlled, it’s not about violence, it’s about skill, it is essentially an art and all about character building, our members wear protective headgear, gloves, and gum shields, the brutality of the past is long gone,” David said.
Training takes place at Autoroller Kanturk on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights. “We have a fantastic bunch of people involved and new members are welcome all the time” David added.
Club members extend their thanks to sponsors, helpers, members, and supporters for ensuring their first tournament was such a success.