Nine Irish boxers in AIBA World top 20

IABA Press Release

Nine Irish boxers are ranked in the Top-20 according to the AIBA World rankings released yesterday.

Katie Taylor, Darren O’Neill, Joe Ward, John Joe Nevin, Paddy Barnes, Ray Moylette, Michael Conlan, Ryan Burnett and Eric Donovan are all in the Top 20 in their respective weight categories.

Taylor, who has been ranked number one since November 2008, tops the 60Kg table with 1,200 points, 400 points ahead of China’s Cheng Dong, who she beat in the 2010 and 2008 World 60Kg finals.

Darren O’Neill, Michael Conlon and John Joe Nevin, who all qualified for the 2012 Olympics at the AIBA World Championships in Baku last month, occupy Top 15 positions, with O’Neill moving up six places from August’s rankings to number three at middleweight.

Conlon, meanwhile, has shot a massive 38 places up the flyweight table from 52 to 14, while two-time World medalist Nevin remains unchanged at number 4 in the bantamweight class.

Ireland’s European light-heavyweight and light -welterweight champions Joe Ward and Ray Moylette have dropped three ranking places.

Ward, who turned 18 last weekend, is down 2 to 3 and Moylette drops two places to number 8.

Barnes, the 2010 European champion, improves one place to number 7 in the light-flyweight category, but his Holy Family BC team-mate Ryan Burnett drops five places from 11 to 16

Donovan is ranked 19th in the lightweight class.

Ten-time Irish Elite champion Ken Egan is at 28 in the heavyweight rankings.

Tyrone McCullagh (24), Michael O’Reilly (39), Chris Blaney (38), Willie McLaughlin (44) and John Joe Joyce (45) are all ranked in the bantamweight, lightweight and welterweight classes.

The rankings are based on points accumulated at AIBA approved tournaments.