Stars come out for National Boxing Awards

25 January 2009 – By Cormac Cambell

The cream of Irish boxing talent was in Newry Arts Centre on Saturday night for the inaugural irish-boxing.com National Boxing Awards.

British light-welterweight Paul McCloskey lifted the Boxer of the Year award after fighting off the challenge of gym-mate Martin Rogan and British super-middleweight kingpin Brian Magee.

Belfast featherweight Martin Lindsay, who will fight Paul Appleby for the British title at the Ulster Hall in April lifted the Prospect of the year award. Also nominated were Andrew Murray, Stephen Haughian and Paulie Hyland.

There was a special award for Ireland’s Olympic boxing heroes Darren Sutherland, Ken Egan and Paddy Barnes, with Barnes and Egan on hand to recount their Beijing successes. A special award will be made to Sutherland in the coming days.

Finally former World flyweight champion Rinty Monaghan was inducted in to the Irish-boxing Hall of Fame.

Representatives from boxing clubs in Counties Down, Armagh and Louth were in attendance at the event, which also saw the official launch of the Irish Boxing Supporters Club.

In the coming weeks a series of interviews and features from the awards will be available to watch, listen to and read on irish-boxing.com.