BOXING:BEIJING OLYMPIAN and European bronze medallist John Joe Joyce is to fly out to the US today to join Irish team-mate Ken Egan's Miami side in the World Series of Boxing (WSB). The Irish senior champion has signed a one-year contract with the Florida side in the Americas WSB group and says he can't wait to get in the ring.
That opportunity could arrive as early as next Thursday night as Miami face Los Angeles away in the four-team group.
Egan, who has served a 45-day medical suspension imposed after he got a cut over his right eye on November 23rd, will line out against LA and Joyce could be selected by Miami’s Irish/American coach Pat Burns.
The St Michael’s Athy welterweight, a 2008 Beijing Olympian and European bronze medallist, will be aiming for his fifth Irish senior title at the National Stadium in Dublin next month.
But for now the 23-year-old wants to get to know his Miami team-mates – and he reckons that Egan is the man to show him the ropes as they try to cut the gap on LA who are four points clear at the top of the table.
Joyce is the second Irish boxer to be head hunted by the WSB sides in the last five days as Belfast middleweight Eamon O’Kane teamed up with Milan in the WSB European group last Friday.
O’Kane is now in line to be selected for the Italian side when they meet John Joe Nevin’s Paris United next weekend.
Twelve teams across three groups in the Americas, Asia and Europe are battling it out in the WSB Team Championships. The group winners plus the best runners up qualify for the WSB semi-finals.
Egan, Nevin, Joyce and O’Kane are the four Irish boxers involved in the WSB. However, at least one other Irishman could be joining the four by the end of this week.
Meanwhile, Irish boxing legend Jim McCourt reckons Ireland’s elite boxers can make a big impression at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
McCourt, a bronze medal winner at the 1964 Olympics and a 1966 Commonwealth champion, was inducted into boxing’s Hall of Fame at the Irish Amateur Boxing Association’s Annual Awards night on Saturday night.
Katie Taylor and the European Senior Championships medal winning quintet of Paddy Barnes, Darren O’Neill, Eric Donovan, Tyrone McCullagh and Egan shared the Elite Achievement Award as the IABA celebrated another outstanding year.
And Taylor, the current World, European, EU and Irish champion and AIBA World female boxer of the year, and Barnes, the reigning European, Commonwealth and Irish champion and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist, also shared the Best Overall Boxer award.
Ryston BC in Kildare scooped the best club and best coaches awards in a year which sees the IABA celebrate its 100th birthday.
