Irish and Russian Squads train together in University of Ulster

The Irish Elite squad, Ulster High Performance team, Ulster Elite panel and a Russian Senior side began a training camp at the University of Ulster in Jordanstown today.

World Elite champions Katie Taylor and Michael Conlan are included on the Ireland team, along with current European Elite and European Games champions Joe Ward and Michael O’Reilly.

Last season’s WSB No. 1 ranked light-fly and three-time Irish Olympian Paddy Barnes and European Games silver medallist Brendan Irvine are also being put through their paces, along with three-time EU champion David Oliver Joyce.

All sides will have test matches over the course of the next ten days.

Two Dutch female boxers, flyweight Alicia Holsken and middleweight Nouchka Fontyn, who is ranked No. 2 in the world, are also taking part in the Antrim camp.

Team Ireland is building up toward the crucial AOB Olympic qualifiers, which begin on April 7th in Samsun, Turkey and the AIBA World Elite Women’s Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Kazakhstan in May.

The Russian team, management and coaches attended last Friday’s Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) Annual Awards as special guests of the IABA at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel in Dublin.

The Ulster training camp ends on February 12th.

Irish squad

49kg Paddy Barnes
51kg Michaela Walsh
52kg Brendan Irvine
56kg Michael Conlan
60kg David Oliver Joyce
60kg Katie Taylor
60kg Shauna O’Keeffe
60kg Gary Cully
64kg Ray Moylette
69kg Steven Donnelly
69kg Adam Nolan
75kg Michael O’Reilly
75kg Christina Desmond
81kg Joe Ward
91kg Darren O’Neill
91kg Kiril Afenasov
91+kg Thomas Carty

Ulster High Performance Team
49kg Stevie McKenna
52kg TJ Waite
56kg Kurt Walker
60kg Sean McComb
60kg Tiernan Bradley
75kg Conor Wallace
81kg JP Delaney

Ulster Elite Team
49kg Dylan Moran
56kg Eamon McNally
60kg Anthony O’Rawe
64kg Bernaldo Marime
69kg Michael Bustard
75kg Fergus Quinn
81kg Sean McGlinchey
91kg Stephen McMonagle
91kg+ Damien O’Sullivan

Coaches and staff: Zuar Antia, John Conlan, Eddie Bolger, John Cleary and Ryan Walsh

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