Two Irish fighters reach famous New York ‘Golden Gloves’ finals

By Paul Stanton

On April 19th, New York Athletic Club coaches Mike Fulham and EJ Bourke will work the corner for two Irishmen competing on behalf of the New York Athletic Club – Donal Ward and Brian Glynn – at the finals of the 2019 Ring Masters Championships (Formerly the New York Golden Gloves).

Both boxers hail from the west of Ireland – Ward from County Roscommon and Glynn from County Galway. Ward will fight in the 165Lb [middleweight] Open Class final and, in doing so, will be the first Irish-born boxer in over twenty years to compete in the open class division final at any weight. Ward is no stranger to competing at the highest level having played Senior Gaelic Football for his native Roscommon from 2010 through 2015 and also lining out for the New York team in 2018 for the game against Leitrim.

As a youngster, Ward boxed for his local Loughglynn Boxing club and was coached by his father Frank. He represented Ireland at underage level in European competitions alongside names like Tyson Fury, Billy Joe Saunders and Ray Moylette.

Before moving to New York with his fiancée Katie, Ward worked as a prison guard in Dublin’s Cloverhill Prison. He now manages Cissy McGinty’s Bar in Astoria, Queens.

Brian Glynn will step into the ring at the Novice Heavyweight division. The tough Galway man took up the sport of boxing just over a year ago when his co-worker, Matthew Tinker persuaded him to come to the 7th Floor at the New York Athletic Club and “give it a go”. Tinker who has also fought at the Irish National Elite Championships, has represented NYAC in numerous bouts and has always been a great fighter to watch.

He was unlucky to lose on a controversial points decision in this years competition to a Russian fighter. Tinker took some satisfaction in watching Glynn on March 30th as he took one back from the Russians by beating another fighter from their gym in the semi final in a bout where a heavy right hand put his opponent on his knee in the third round. Glynn now advances to the final to face Jimmy Diamond from Long Beach. These two fighters previously faced each other in the New York Metro finals where Glynn won by TKO to claim the belt. Glynn has had many battles on the hurling field at Gaelic Park over the years lining out for both Hoboken and for Tipperary. By stepping into the ring in the Novice Heavyweight Finals, he aims to claim a title previously won by Seamus McDonagh (1985) and Tommy Hardwick (2010).

Both Ward and Glynn are sure to put on a great show at Madison Square Garden and they would gladly welcome any support. It should be another great night for the Irish at Madison Square Garden.