NOLAN LEAVES THE RING
Ballagh boxer announces retirement after fine career
ADAM NOLAN, the Irish welterweight champion, has announced his retirement from the ring at the age of 30 years.
The Ballagh born-boxer, fivetime Irish Senior champion, said there was no easy way to make the announcement, having suffered the heartache of missing out on the Rio Olympics when he felt he was let down by the selection process.
The Bray-based Garda won his fifth Irish Senior title in December of 2015, but lost out on securing a place in the Olympic qualifiers when Ballymena fighter Stephen Donnelly was ratified to the sole Irish welterweight spot for the Rio Games, having finished fourth in the World Series of Boxing semipro tournament.
‘I was under the impression going into the Seniors that if I retained my title, I could be sent to a qualifier. But a couple of days later I was hit with this bombshell that winning my fifth Senior title was all in vain - “you can’t be sent now, Stephen has been ratified by the governing body”,’ Nolan said.
Despite that bitter disappointment, the Wexford man has his own fine achievements to look back on. He became only the second Wexford boxer to fight in the Olympics in London 2012, following in the footsteps of his coach, Billy Walsh, while he boxed at that level despite never participating in a major tournament previously.
Having performed out of the Bray club under Pete Taylor, he also set a record as, along with Katie Taylor), the five times world champion and Olympic gold medal winner, they were the first male and female to represent the same club at the Olympics.
In 2015, Adam went to a Multi-Nations tournament in Finland and won all three of his bouts to claim the gold medal for Ireland and the boxer of the tournament award.
Having taken a break from boxing, Adam returned to the fight game, joining up with Pete and Katie at Bray Boxing Club. He won a national Intermediate title before going on to win the first of his Senior titles in 2011.
Boxing out of The Ballagh club at the time under his father, John, and Martin O’Connor, Adam has another claim to fame, namely a victory over Carl Frampton, now a world class professional, in the National Youth 52 kg. Junior final.
Now back hurling with his beloved Oulart-The Ballagh, Adam won his first Senior medal last year, with brother Darren capturing his tenth on the same occasion.
Now concentrating on hurling, Adam says he will not be lost to boxing, as he determined to return and coach the under-age children in The Ballagh Boxing Club.
He says he owes the club so much, particularly his father and Martin O’Connor, who led it to so many achievements in the past.
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