Five Irish boxers head into 2024 with their summer plans sorted.
Kellie Harrington, Dean Clancy, Michaela Walsh, Aoife O’Rourke and Jack Marley have booked their places on the plane to Paris 2024.
The quintet qualified on their first attempt in Poland last summer and will represent their country at the upcoming Games.
Hypothetically, there is room for eight more Irish fighters on the plane, but there is still work to be done to secure a ticket.
This year the classification must be achieved through international competitions. There are two more chances to reach Paris, first through a world qualifying tournament in Italy next month, while there will be a tournament at the end of May in Thailand for those who fail in late February or early March.
It remains to be seen which Irish fighters in the eight weights. The Irish News reports that the infamous ‘evaluations’ will take place only at men’s light middleweight, although it is unclear whether the other seven reigning champions at the Olympic weights will be automatically sent.
That said, with two Olympic qualifiers on the calendar, changes between Italy and Thailand are certainly possible.
High Performance is currently evaluating a large number of boxers and will make a final decision in the very near future.
Below we take a look at each weight and those in the selection box.
Women’s light flyweight (50 kg)Daina Moorehouse’s domestic dominance throughout 2023 will likely see her travel to Italy, wear the Irish crest and try to book her spot on the plane to France this summer.
Heading into 2023, the underage star had tough competition from Catlin Fryers in particular, but the fact she added two more Irish titles to her collection and represented Ireland at the European Games should put her firmly on the qualifying pole.
Things could have been very different for the Wicklow fighter had she quit after suffering a knock to her ankle in a Fryers final last January.
However, she managed to finish the fight on one leg, securing the victory before beating off Shannon Sweeney’s challenge in November.
Both Sweeney and Fryers have international experience and would be considered eligible to qualify, but from the outside it looks like Moorehouse, who was just one win away in Poland, will have another chance to qualify next month.
Women’s bantamweight (54 kg)It looks like Jennifer Lehane and Niamh Fay will face each other for the bantamweight ranking spot.
Like Lehane, the reigning DCU champion, she looks set to take pole position, but, as Fay discovered after her team’s surprise before last year’s European Games, an Irish title does not always guarantee international selection.
It is an interesting selection dilemma of a decorated underage graduate of Fay facing a former karateka who has excelled and improved under the guidance of Alto Rendimiento.
Women’s featherweight (57 kg) Michaela Walsh QUALIFIED
Women’s lightweight (60 kg) Kellie Harrington QUALIFIED
Women’s welterweight (66 kg)The welterweight class guarantees a massive high-performance selection headache, headache for fighters, and debate among fans.
Team Ireland has world-class weight options and could pick any of the four decorated operators to take a shot at Olympic qualification.
Christina Desmond could be ruled out, considering she seems more comfortable outside the weight class, but any of them – Gráinne Walsh, Amy Broadhurst and Lisa O’Rourke – would not only be keen to qualify, but would all be considered medal hopes .
Walsh won the 2023 and 2024 Irish National Elite Championships last year and admits she was upset not to be chosen for the European Games ahead of Broadhurst, whom she defeated in a final last spring.
The Offaly native appears to be in a strong position to get the nod this time around, especially as the World Championship gold medal winners have been out with injuries, with Broadhurst also alluding to political issues online.
However, each fighter has a strong case for selection (O’Rourke defeated Walsh in his debut in a welterweight tournament in Poland last September) and each is more than capable of qualifying.
Women’s middleweight (75 kg)Aoife O’Rourke QUALIFIED
Men’s flyweight (51 kg)Sean Mari has cemented his status as the big man of Irish boxing in recent years. The talented Monkstown operator is the hot favorite for classified selection. Frankly, it would be a massive shock if he didn’t get the chance to join clubmate Jack Marley on the plane to Paris 2024 in February.
Men’s featherweight (57 kg)Some argue that the current featherweight field is one of the most talented national divisions in history.
Selected names include a Commonwealth European Silver and Gold medal winner, a European Under-22 medal winner, a Commonwealth Gold medal winner, former champions, international operators, minor standouts of age, etc.
Having emerged from a field that included Adam Hession, Dylan Eagleson, Davey Joyce, Sean Purcell and Paddy McShane to claim the National Elite title at the weight in November, Jude Gallagher appears to be in the best position to be selected.
The pen, mentored by Eric Donovan and an Eddie Hearn fan, proved her international credentials by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games and doing so in sensational fashion. He was selected for the European Games ahead of then-champion Loonam, but was outclassed in his first bout by the eventual gold medalist, and an injury hampered his chances.
Men’s light welterweight (63.5 kg)Dean Clancy QUALIFIED
Men’s light middleweight (71 kg)Like featherweight, the light middleweight class is another class that is full of talent and has a little more to debate about it.
The returning boy, Dean Walsh, is the current champion and goes into 2024 as back-to-back winner of the Irish title. However, the fact that Aidan Walsh was not in the field to retain his title in November leaves room for the Olympic medal winner to make his case.
Jon McConnell is also in the weight, but it is understood the selection is between Walsh and 2024 national runner-up Eugene McKeever, with assessments due to take place shortly.
Men’s light heavyweight (80 kg)The pick here would seem to be a straight shootout between Kelyn Cassidy and Gabriel Dossen with Cassidy appearing to be the one with the most bullets in his gun. The Waterford talent appears to have one foot on the plane to the next playoffs considering his recent form.
The light heavyweight Déise has established itself as a heavyweight operator worldwide. He came closer than any other fighter to qualifying without crossing the line last summer.
Cassidy was up in the final round against Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzniak, Olympic silver medalist, world champion and multiple European champion, only for a points deduction and countout to deny him victory, a medal and a place at Paris 2024.
Such was his performance in that fight, that at the European Games and the most recent World Championships many suggest that it should be a guarantee to get through the next qualifying tournament.
Although first you have to secure the selection. Gabriel Dossen is the main rival for the spot, but the fact that Cassidy defeated the European gold medal winner in a historic and classic Elite National Championship final in November suggests he is the current number one in Ireland.
Men’s Heavyweight (92 kg)Jack Marley QUALIFIED
Men’s super heavyweight (+92 kg)Ireland did not send any super heavyweights to the final qualifiers. Gytis Lisinskas of the Celtic Eagles was the defending champion at the time of the Games, but he did not travel with the team.
It’s not yet sure if High Performance will select a big man for the next qualifier, but if they are looking for someone to send to weight, Martin McDonagh’s hand is raised higher.
The Crumlin super heavyweight has burst onto the scene over the last 12 months winning four Irish titles in his first 10 fights. He confirmed himself as the best 92kg+ boxer in the country when he added National Elite honors to the National Novice, Under-22 and Intermediate titles he previously won in November.
Since then, the big man has been absent with High Performance at training camps, along with Willie John McCartan and rumors suggest he has impressed.
