BOXING:The president of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA), Dominic O'Rourke, has hailed the performances of the Irish team after they won three gold and two silver medals at the fifth European Union Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Irish captain Ken Egan, Darren Sutherland and Roy Sheahan all won gold, while Carl Frampton and Cathal McMonagle landed silver on an historic day for the IABA.

Saturday's wins ensured that Ireland topped the medals table and confirmed the IABA's new- found status as the top amateur boxing association in the European Union of nations.

O'Rourke said, "Unbelievable is the only word I can use to describe it. The entire Irish squad boxed their hearts out for their country and they have done themselves, their country and their clubs proud here at the National Stadium. I would like to thank everyone involved for the tremendous efforts they have put into making this tournament such an enormous success."

St Michael's, Athy, welter -weight Sheahan got the gold rush underway after his final with Xavier Noel was stopped in the fourth after the Frenchman received a cut over his right eye.

And middleweight Sutherland, from the St Saviour's club in Dublin, defeated English number one James Degale, winning all four rounds before being handed a 23-17 verdict.

Irish captain Ken Egan (Neilstown, Dublin) then landed his second European Union Boxing Championships gold in two years against Romanian European Championships bronze medallist Constantin Bejenaru, and he was boxing effectively with only one hand for most of the contest.

Egan - also a European bronze medallist - was just back from an injury to his left hand and was obviously reluctant to use it against Bejenaru. So it was right jabs all the way, and the Romanian boxer had no answer to the more skilful performance of the Irish skipper.

Featherweight Carl Frampton and super heavyweight Cathal McMonagle (Holy Trinity, Belfast) had to be content with silver despite brave showings.

Frampton (Midlands White City, Belfast) was beaten by Khedafi Djelkhir of France, and McMonagle lost out to Italian Olympic and World Championships bronze medallist Roberto Cammarelle, ranked in the top three in the world.