Call for end to ‘all-out civil war’ in amateur boxing

Claims of an “all-out civil war” in Irish amateur boxing have been raised in the Seanad.

Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer said the Irish Athletic Boxing Association's agm was scheduled for next weekend but has been deferred while "candidates have been put forward and then retracted and 25 members were expelled last week".

Members of the Dublin, Leinster and Connacht clubs have voted no confidence in the central council, he said.

He added that it was of "great concern that people of the calibre" of Andrew Duncan, a Fine Gael councillor and chair of the Leinster provincial council "are being treated the way they are. I know him well. He is a person of value, substance and high integrity who puts the sport of boxing first, second and third."

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Young people and potential future Olympians deserved to have a sport that was “free from rancour”, and not being damaged from high performance to grass roots level.

Senator Buttimer raised the issue as he called for Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers to lead a debate on sport, particularly boxing, and its future.

Citing the deferral of the agm and the row over candidates for the board Mr Buttimer said “there seems to be an all-out civil war in Irish amateur boxing”.

The Cork-based Senator said “our boxers should be revelling in the joy of last summer with the deeds of Kellie Harrington and others who have achieved Olympic success.

“Instead, there has been an Oireachtas committee meeting on Irish amateur boxing and there will be an independent review.”

He called for an end “once and for all, to end this ongoing review that is damaging the sport of boxing from grassroots level to high performance”.

“The young boys and girls of our boxing clubs, and our young adults and potential and current Olympians, deserve boxing to be free from rancour.”