Angels’ delight at boxing success
Dublin People 31 Mar 2012
A FLEDGLING Southside boxing club has been celebrating
after two of its young fighters, who are twin brothers, recently picked up
All-Ireland medals in their respective weight divisions.
Angels Boxing Club on the Heather Road in the
Sandyford Industrial Estate was founded in late 2009 by experienced boxing
coach Reg Byrne.
The relatively new club celebrated a double success
recently when twin 16-year-old brothers, Sean and Paddy Headon from Foxrock,
won All-Ireland titles in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions respectively
at the National Stadium on the South Circular Road.
Marty Carr (28), from Ballinteer, was also runner up
in his All-Ireland final bout in the middleweight division on the same evening.
The chairman of the club, Shane Kelly (31) from
Dundrum, who is also a coach, said the wins represented a huge achievement for
them.
“We are only in existence for two years,
? he said.
“We
are hoping for great things now for the twins. Marty’s final fight was the
All-Ireland final. There was huge commitment involved in trying to get to that
level.
?
He said the ultimate goal of Reg Byrne, who has over
25 years’ experience in coaching at various clubs on the Southside is to establish
a professional outfit.
At the moment the current club provides a sporting
outlet for underprivileged youth in the area.
“His ultimate goal is to have a pro-boxing club and a
pro-gym but at the moment it is a grass roots club,
? Shane said.
“We also have
a lot of fantastic boxers and a real diverse spectrum of members.
?
He also said the club is largely self-financing and
dependent on the efforts of its members to raise funds.
“We run our own charity events,
? he revealed.
“We pay
e26,000 a year for rent and rates for the premises. Our structure of the club
involves a nine-man committee. We have a significant Garda membership and we
have received a lot of support from the local gardai in Blackrock in relation
to sponsorship for medals and so on.
“We also have an affiliation with the Lions Club of
Ireland. They have helped us out on a number of occasions with bits and pieces.
“The Irish Amateur Boxing Association has given us
some equipment to help buy punch bags and gloves and other bits and pieces as
well.
“Every year there is a sports grant as well that is
given to the IABA and they distribute that as they see fit but by and large we
fund ourselves.
?
The name of the club comes from the fact that it is
located in the Queen of Angel’s Parish in Sandyford.
It is open to new members, both male and female, who
do not pay an annual membership fee but instead pay small sums on an as-you-go
basis.
“Anybody under 16 who comes up pays
?¬2 per session and
those over 16 pays
?¬5,
? Shane explained.
“We have a fully equipped gym and we
run four or five classes weekly for the boxing. We have youth boxing classes,
which are largely for 12 to 16 year-olds and we have senior boxing classes
too.
?
Anyone interested in joining or who would like to find
out more about Angels Boxing Club can email angelsboxingclub@gmail.com or tel
085-7808915.
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