Boxing

Kayla Doyle secures a third gold for Irish boxers at World Youth Championships

Siofra Lawless and Adam Olaniyan also secured gold in Montenegro over the weekend

Chris McNulty
Sun Nov 03 2024 - 17:42

A stunning final display saw Kayla Doyle win Ireland’s third gold at the World Youth Championships in Montenegro on Sunday, joining Siofra Lawless and Adam Olaniyan on top of the podium in Budva.

Doyle surged to welterweight gold after a demolition of Kazakhstan’s Uldana Taubay to claim an emphatic unanimous decision,

The Whitechurch Boxing Club fighter scored 30-26 on three cards, 30-27 on one and 30-25 on the Croatian judge’s card to confirm her dominance.

Out of the blue corner, Doyle set the tone early, launching a vicious flurry from which her opponent never fully recovered.

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At the outset of the second round, Doyle sprang from the stool to land a hard left hook, followed by a clinical right. And when Taubay’s head rocked back under another pummelling, the referee stepped in and counted.

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

Lawless of the Four Kings Boxing Club in Wicklow won her second world gold inside a year on Saturday afternoon.

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. Well composed throughout, she 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 North 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″ fighter, previously the European Youth and European Schoolboys champion, defeated Uzbekistan’s Shakzod Polvonov in his final.

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