FORMER national youth head coach Billy McClean is back helping a new generation of Irish boxers as they prepare for the European U18 Championships in Bulgaria next month.
There was shock in Irish boxing circles in 2020 when, after a decade that produced 68 medals – including 12 gold - in international competition, McClean parted company with the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA).
However, the west Belfast man has spent recent Saturdays at the National Stadium working alongside the U18 hopefuls, with a full team of 25 boxers expected to take to the European stage between April 10-22.
“I was asked to do a performance analysis of the finals of the U18 championships last month in Dublin - I hadn’t been down to the National Stadium in over two years,” said McClean.
“The officer board asked me to come back and coach the boxers, with the other coaches, in preparation for the European Championships in Bulgaria next month. I was brought back in an advisory capacity, and also in a voluntary capacity.
“I helped out with the managerial side of things, strategic planning, because this is the first trip kids have been away on in over two years because of Covid. They wanted me back for my experience and, I suppose, my knowledge of what’s going on.
“The countries in the Eastern bloc have been competing through a lot of that time, where a lot of our U18 kids will be boxing with new international medical cards with no international contests on them, against opposition with up to 20 on their cards.
“We’re not expecting the Russians to be there – that, in many ways, is a bonus. The Belarussians are also quite a useful boxing nation, and they probably won’t be there, while we’re not sure what will happen with Ukraine.
“I live in hope that the team can do well, but we are going a little bit into the unknown because our boxers haven’t been involved internationally in over two years. That makes it a fairly difficult thing to weigh up, but the experience the kids get is very important moving forward.”
And the 57-year-old, a former two-time Ulster senior champion in his own punching pomp, insists he had no reservations about getting involved with the U18 squad after being asked.
“Not specifically, no,” said McClean, who is still involved with his club, Holy Trinity.
“I love boxing, I love what I’ve done in 50 years, man and boy, and I feel it’s very important to put something back into the game for the sake of the kids. I’m very passionate about the junior and youth programme because for 10 years I ran the whole programme.
“Two of my European youth champions, Daina Moorehouse and Niamh Fay, are going to be in action for Ireland in Croatia in the coming days. I’ve high hopes the two ladies can do very well in Croatia. Jack Marley, a very talented heavyweight, is another one who came through the system. But that only goes to show the production line continues to come from the junior and youth development class.
“Even the other night I sat and watched a professional boxer, Gary Cully – a European youth champion from 2012 who not only won the gold medal in Holland, he won the best boxer award. And then Caoimhin Agyarko also came through the junior and youth programme as well.
“It’s amazing the boxers that go through your hands, and I look back on it with great fondness – the likes of Paddy Donovan, Kurt Walker, Brendan Irvine, they all came through the programme.
It shows it was a success, and I’m just trying to help continue that success moving forward.
“My love and my passion for the game has never subsided, and never will. I was happy to be asked back, and I’m enjoying it so far.”
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ULSTER ACES HOPE FOR FIVE-STAR SHOW AFTER EURO U22 DRAW
IRELAND’S Ulster quintet will be hoping for five-star performances when they step between the ropes at the European U22 Championships later this week.
Nicole Clyde, Caitlin Fryers, Padraig Downey, Clepson dos Santos and Dylan Eagleson are all waiting to make their bow in Croatia, after the action got under way in Porec on Sunday.
Antrim BC light-fly Clyde is the first of the Ulster contingent between the ropes tomorrow when she faces Slovakia’s Nicole Durikova. Spain’s Marta Lopez del Arbol awaits the winner in the quarter-final on Friday.
Highly-rated St Paul’s bantam Eagleson, who represented Ireland at the 2019 European Youths, faces Armenia’s Erik Tokhyan in the last 16 on Thursday, with the winner taking on Poland’s Jakub Krzpiet on Saturday.
Immaculata fly Fryers, the reigning Irish elite champion, received a bye in the 50kg draw and will face Pilha Kaivo-Oja in the quarter-final on Friday. That pair had been due to meet at the same stage at the Strandja tournament last month, only for injury to force Fryers’s withdrawal.
St John Bosco light-fly Downey, meanwhile, takes his first steps onto the international stage with a quarter-final against Bulgaria’s Ergyunal Sebahtin on Saturday, while Holy Trinity 51kg fighter Clepson dos Santos will face Azerbaijan’s Nijat Huseynov on Saturday after receiving a bye into the last eight.
Like Nicole Clyde, bantam Niamh Fay and featherweight hope Zara Breslin both begin their campaign tomorrow. Fay faces Ukraine’s Anastasia Lesinska in the last 16, with the winner taking on Finland’s Jonna Hakkarainen in Friday’s quarter-final, while Hungary’s Beata Varga awaits Breslin.
Featherweight Jake McMahon is up on St Patrick’s Day, against Turkey’s Tahir Taha Akkoyun, with Azerbaijan’s Maksud Khasmetov awaiting the winner at the quarter-final stage on Saturday.
Friday sees pocket rocket Daina Moorehouse against Croatia’s Nikolina Cacic, with Ukraine’s Sabina Novosad awaiting the winner in Sunday’s semi-final, while light-welter Eve Woods faces Italy’s Miriam Tommasone on Friday after receiving a bye into the quarters.
Dublin welterweight Kaci Rock – daughter of former four-weight Irish champion Jim ‘The Pink Panther’ Rock – has been paired with Ukraine’s Maryna Stoiko on Friday, with the winner up against Germany’s Stefanie von Berge.
Middleweight Aoibh Carabine has been drawn against Hungary’s Regina Lakos on Friday while, following on from her big sister Aoife’s recent gold medal success in Strandja, Lisa O’Rourke bids to carry on that family form against Italy’s Melissa Gemini on Friday, with Israel’s Lia Pukkila awaiting the winner at the semi-final stage on Sunday.
Heavyweight Jack Marley - a bronze medallist at last year’s U22s – must wait until Saturday before making his return to the European stage when he faces the winner of Vitali Stalchenko (Ukraine) and Piotr Bereznicki (Poland).
The Irish team got off a losing start on Sunday when light-welter James McDonagh and light-middle Darragh Gilroy bowed out, but Barry O’Connor notched a first win yesterday when he defeated Slovakia’s Aljaz Sircelj.
