Deadly Doyle: Kyla Doyle is World Youth champ

A vicious final display saw Kyla Doyle win Ireland’s third gold at the World Youth Championships in Montenegro.

Doyle, Siofra Lawless and Adam Olaniyan all won gold in Budva.  

On Sunday, Doyle surged to welterweight gold after a demolition of Uldana Taubay.

Doyle dominated a one-sided final to claim an emphatic unanimous decision,

The Whitechurch welter took scores of 30-26 x3, 30-27, 30-25 – a Croatian judge having daylight between them – to confirm a stunning performance.

Out of the blue corner, Doyle set the tone early on. A vicious flurry from Doyle shook Taubay and the Kazakh never recovered.

At the outset of the second round, Doyle sprang from the stool to land a lethal left hook, followed by a clinical right, to take whatever solace Taubay found between rounds from her body again.

When Taubay’s head rocked back under another pummelling, the referee stepped in and counted.

Taybay survived, but Doyle kept her feet on the gas in a relentless performance. 

On Saturday afternoon Four Kings BC, Wicklow ace Lawless won her second World gold inside a year.

Lawless, the World Junior champion last December in Armenia, overcame A Pak Sin from North Korea in the light-welterweight decider.

Lawless belied her young years with a display of experienced ring work to take a 4-1 split decision. While four judges went 30-27 in Lawless’s favour, Maria Del Pilar Morales sided with the Korean.

The composed Lawless led the way with a well-utilised jab and did some excellent work at close quarters to get the opening round on all five cards.

The Korean sought a way back in the last round, but Lawless was able to use her stature to stay in command.

Jobstown’s Adam Olaniyan continued his rise in the sport with an outstanding heavyweight gold. The 6’6” Olaniyan, previously the European Youth and European Schoolboys champion, defeated Shakzod Polvonov in his final.

Olaniyan, the Irish team captain in Montenegro, claimed an excellent unanimous decision win.

Olaniyan fell to the canvas in delight as his name was announced as the victor. 

“As I said before, remember the name, Adam Olaniyan,” former world champion Andy Lee wrote on X after a superb display by the Dubliner. 

The IBA awarded $8,000 to gold medallists, $4,000 to silver medallists with the bronze medallists taking home $2,000. Boxers reaching the quarter-finals were awarded $1,000.

Three Irish boxers who competed as neutrals also won medals. 

Carlagh Peake of Ballyhaunis took silver after losing out to Yelyanur Turganova from Kazakhstan in the light-flyweight final.

Westport middleweight Nell McLaughlin took silver in her division after being stopped by Zi Yi Bao from China in the second round.

Cruiserweight Shay O’Dowd from Swords picked up a hand injury in his quarter-final and was unable to line up in a semi-final, settling instead for bronze.

Eleven Irish boxers – cornered by Edenderry boxing coach Liam Bremerton – competed as IBA neutrals and were funded in making the trip by the IBA.