National Elite Competition Talking Points
The 2025 National Elite Competition takes place in Belfast this week.
The competition is being held at World Boxing weights and will be a factor in selecting the Team Ireland team to contest the World Boxing World Championships in Liverpool thisSeptember.
We here at Irish-boxing.com decided to look at some key talking points of what promises to be an entertaining tournament.
Baptism of Senior Fire for Underage Super Heavyweight Sensation
The entire Irish boxing community has been wondering how Adam Olaniyan’s sensational underage dominance will translate to the pro ranks – and much to their delight, they are about to find out.
The 19-year-old World and European Youth gold medal winner makes his senior elite debut in Belfast next week. The Jobstown prospect jumps straight in at the deep end and faces the current 92 kg+ number 1 in a straight final.
It’s a massive litmus test against an extremely talented boxer who has a brilliant back story of his own. The Galway man came from obscurity to make a real charge for the Olympics, falling agonizingly short at the final hurdle.
In the process,, the Olympic Galway man brought real spotlight back to the biggest of the amateur weights for the first time since the Con Sheehan, Sean Turner, Niall Kennedy and Dean Gardiner era.
That spotlight cranks right up this week courtesy of an extremely anticipated big man decider.
Young Guns Ready to Fire
Olaniyan is not the only decorated underage graduate looking to lay down a marker at the start of a new Olympic cycle.
A host of young guns are ready to fire in the tournament. Some enter the Elite fray for the first time, while others have minimal elite experience and enter with Olympic ambitions for the first time.
Underage standout Patsy Joyce is an example of the latter, a reigning champion but still just 19, Louis Rooney is in a similar position and adds to an already massively interesting 50kg division. Robyn Kelly is another decorated 20-year-old with Elite experience but will be hoping to go one better than last years final finish.
Underage Irish title regular, Tiffany Spencer debuts at the level as does European Junior medalist Johnny Harty.
World Youth Championship medal winner Carlagh Peake and European Youth podium placer Katie O’Keefe spice up an already red-hot 51kg division.
While European underage starlet Tadgh O’Donnell and others also enter the fray.
The Olympians are out in force
It’s not only the young guns that have entered the big guns are out in force too.
The Paris Olympians have entered and will all attempt to cement their number one status ahead of the first World Championships of the new cycle.
Daina Moorehouse, Jenny Lehane, Michaela Walsh, Grainne Walsh, Aoife O’Rourke, Dean Clancy and Jack Marley will all compete in Belfast.
Wonderous Women’s Weight Classes
While it’s not ideal to see several women crowned champion via walkover over the disappointment is offset by some stacked female weight classes.
51kg has a bit of everything. Diana Moorehouse an Olympian, decorated internationals and proven Elite operators Shanon Sweeney and Cathlin Fryers, the always competitive Niamh Earley, regular underage title winner Rachel Lawless and underage International medal winners Carlagh Peake and Katie O’Keefe. Such is the talent pool that there isn’t a bad matchup.
Peake and O’Keefe bring their underage rivalry to an elite level, Sweeney awaits the winner of Moorehouse versus Earley, while Fryers and Lawless contest the other quarter.
54kg is another weight class high in entrants and talent.
Olympian Jennifer Lehane is in World Championship poll, but the likes of the decorated underage graduate’s Robyn Kelly and Chloe Gaberial, also an Elite Champion, will be looking to challenge her number one status.
Intermediate Champion and the ever improving Sophie Atallah will also look to have a say, as will Commonwealth Games quarter finalist Nicole Cylde. Megan Flynn a fighter who returned from a nine year absence to win an Intermediate title last year is an interesting wild card.
There aren’t as many contesting at featherweight but Michaela Walsh versus Niamh Fay is a brilliant semi and the winner versus Kelsey Leonard is a brilliant decider.
65kg will be the home of International level clashes at domestic level.
Linda Desmond and Kaci Rock, two boxers who have represented Ireland with distinction, meet in a mouth watering semi final. Olympian Grainne Walsh is on the other side of the draw along with Ulster Champion Caprice Coiley.
Marvelous Male Weight Clases
As discussed previously super heavyweight is one to watch, even if it is a straight final.
At weight much further down the scales also catches the eye. 50kg is another with an exciting blend of talent. Sean Mari, Ricky Nesbit and Clepson dos Santos are all Internationals, while Louis Rooney is one of the most exciting young talents in the country as is Ulster Champion and Youth International Scott Thompson.
Middleweight is another with potential to deliver thanks to the fact underage age standouts Tadgh O’Donnell and Gavin Rafferty have entered alongside fellow International Josh Olaniyan. Regular competitor Jack Brady returns as does 2024 finalist Taylor Guiney.
With Adam Hession, Dylan Eagleson, Rhys Owens, Jordon O’Donnell, Rory Lavery and Jamie Graham all entered lightweight is another division sure to deliver good fights.
Weight Change
The competition is being held at World Boxing weights, which means changes for some athletes.
The IABA will use the tournament as a guide for World Championships selection.
The tournament, which takes place in Liverpool from September 4th to 14th is a World Boxing tournament.
