Irish champion snapped up by World Series of Boxing team

A third Irish fighter has been signed up for this season’s World Series of Boxing.

Now in its eighth edition, the team based tournament is four fixtures in. Boxers fight over five three-minute rounds without vests and are paid by the bout – but retain their Olympic eligibility.

This year, light heavyweight Joe Ward and lightweight Sean Duffy have both been signed by the British Lionhearts. Ward has won both of his bouts thus far, while Duffy has yet to make an appearance.

Now a third Irish fighter has been snapped up and has joined one of the Lionhearts’ rivals.

Irish Elite Senior light heavyweight champion Caoimhin Agyarko Hynes has been signed by the Milan-based Italia Thunder franchise.

The Belfast middleweight will make his debut on Friday April 6th in Paris versus the France Fighting Roosters, the current table toppers in the four-team European Group. The Thunder are in third position, behind the Lionhearts whom they lost 4-1 to at the weekend, and ahead of the Croatian Knights.

Unreal news got picked to fight for Italian thunders in the WSB at middleweight on the 6th on April unreal opportunity for me specially being that the wsb will be an Olympic qualifier next year! Looking forward to it!

— Caoimhin Agyarko (@caoimhinhynes29) March 19, 2018

Belfast’s Mick Conlan and Paddy Barnes both qualified for the Rio Olympics via their exploits with the Italia Thunder in the 2015 season of the WSB [Conlan subsequently qualified for the Olympics again through the World Championships].

Holy Trinity’s Hynes entered the Elite Senior Championships last month at short notice at the unfamiliar weight of light heavyweight. However, the 21-year-old blasted his way to a maiden Senior title, defeating Brian Kennedy in the final.

He subsequently represented Ireland twice on their ongoing tour of the U.S. East Coast being narrowly defeated – but impressing massively – against American champion Khalil Coe both times.

Hynes is likely to face Nizar Trimech. The 24-year-old Frenchman is the only middleweight on the roster of the Roosters. Undefeated in four WSB bouts, Trimech has won both of his fights this season and is also an active pro with a 6(2)-1(0) record.

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)