Even after European, World and Olympic glory, Kellie Harrington had tears in her eyes as she claimed another Irish title on Saturday night.
It was Harrington’s 12th National Elite title, as she overcame 2025 lightweight champion Kellie McLoughlin after over a year out of boxing.
The big name drew a big crowd, with the National Stadium near capacity for the all-Kellie showdown, as people came to see the comeback of an Irish sporting great.
Speaking to TG4 after the fight, the glory wasn’t the first thing on her mind – it was the sacrifices that other people had made, and ‘giving back’ to boxing having gained so much from the sport.
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“I wanted to come back here because I do believe that this is where you give back to the next generation of boxers. To be able to give them a chance to step into the ring with an Olympic champion, I would have loved to have done that myself.”
It might not make sense to everyone – after all, Kellie McLoughlin won the title in her absence, and Harrington’s return was all that stood in the way of her going back-to-back – but when both boxers embraced at the end of a brilliant contest, it illustrated her point.
By troubling Harrington throughout the fight, McLoughlin proved she belonged at the elite level. The grins on both boxers’ faces showed they’d enjoyed the dust-up just as much as the crowd had.
While Harrington won all three rounds on every judge’s scorecard, McLoughlin fought particularly well in the opener and final round, dragging her opponent into a close-range brawl.
It was only in the second, where Harrington repeatedly drew the St Catherine’s BC fighter on to right-hand counters, that a clear gap appeared between the pair.
Harrington said McLoughlin isn’t the only one at the weight class who could be catching up to her.
“We have a lot of good 60kg girls in Ireland. We have Kellie [McLoughlin], we have Zara [Breslin], and then we have up-and-coming boxers in the under 23s and in the youths,” said Harrington. “The girls that you saw throughout this tournament may not be the girls that are here next year.”
Judging by the mob of children that descended on Harrington when she came back to watch the rest of the action, the long-term future of Irish boxing also looks bright.
The big crowd and the adoring kids make it even more tempting to look on from the outside and hope that she’ll be back for more, but Harrington would not be tied down to a commitment on her future in the sport.
Asked what would come next, she provided her final artful dodge of the evening: “What’s next for me now is to go somewhere and get a big burger with my wife, Mandy.”
The weekend made clear there is still plenty left in the tank should she choose to come back and fight for Ireland.
Even the greats can have doubts though, and Harrington admitted that it was Mandy and her coach, Noel Burke, who helped get her through her first big final in 18 months.
“The two of them have been fantastic for the last number of months, keeping me on track, and when I’m here today, because the nerves are going, they kept me focused and made me remember who I am.”
It’s hard to believe anyone could forget who Kellie Harrington was before retiring – Ireland’s first ever two-time Olympic boxing gold medallist in boxing – but returning to the ring after so long out made everything seem just that little bit harder. Even coming back to familiar territory, the National Stadium on Irish finals night, was an unexpected challenge.
“I was saying to people during the week, sometimes it’s easier to contest abroad, because you don’t know anyone there,” said Harrington.
“This is one of the hardest nights of boxing, really, because you have so many people here who are with you; who are against you. Who want to see you doing well; who want to see the new kid on the block. It’s a very hard place to win.”
That pressure to be the same Kellie Harrington that we all remember is probably why there was so much relief for her at the final bell. But once the fighting was done, it felt natural to see her back with silverware in hand, taking photos with fans ringside.
Whether this is a fitting end to an amazing career or the start of the comeback remains to be seen, but it was special to have Harrington back, both for Saturday’s crowd and the future of Irish boxing.
Results
Men’s 50kg: Louis Rooney (Star ABC) 4 – 1 Sean Mari (Monkstown BC)
Women’s 51kg: Daina Moorehouse (Enniskerry BC) 3 – 2 Caitlin Fryers (Immaculata BC)
W54kg: Jennifer Lehane (DCU BC) 5 – 0 Robyn Kelly (Ballynacargy BC)
M55kg: Patsy Joyce (Olympic BC) 5 – 0 Clepson Dos Santos (Holy Trinity BC)
W57kg: Michaela Walsh (Holy Family GG) 5 – 0 Sarah Cunningham (O’Rourke’s BC)
W60kg: Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s BC) 5 – 0 Kellie McLoughline (St Catherine’s BC)
M60kg: Jude Gallagher (Two Castles OBA) 3 – 2 Adam Hession (Monivea BC)
W65kg: Grainne Walsh (St Mary’s BC) 5 – 0 Linda Desmond (Rylane BC)
M65kg: Dean Clancy (Sean McDermott BC) 4 – 1 Jason Nevin (Olympic BC)
M70kg: Jon McConnell (Holy Trinity BC) 4 – 1 Terry McEntee (DCU BC)
W75kg: Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea BC) 5 – 0 Shauna Kearney (Bunclody BC)
M75kg: Tadgh O’Donnell (Jobstown BC) 5 – 0 Gavin Rafferty (Dublin Docklands)
M80kg: Josh Olaniyan (Jobstown BC) 5 – 0 Keelyn Cassidy (Saviours Crystal BC)
M85kg: Nathan Ojo (Esker BC) 5 – 0 Robbie Olusola (Celtic Eagles BC)
M90kg: Jack Marley (Monkstown BC) 5 – 0 Garyn McAlister (North Down BC)
