Ireland News:
Award Winners
By Bernard O'Neill
January 24, 2009
(JAN 24) World champions Katie Taylor and
Ray Moylette and Olympic hero Ken Egan shared the top award as Irish
amateur boxing celebrated last years unprecedented level of success in
style at the Irish Daily Star and Moran Red Cow Hotel sponsored 8th
Annual IABA Awards at the Moran Red Cow Hotel in Dublin last night.
Taylor, who also picked up the Irish Times/Irish Sports Council Irish
sportswoman of the year award yesterday, and Moylette, both landed World
lightweight titles last year, while Egan brought home a light
heavyweight silver medal from the 29th Olympiad in Beijing.
All three were presented with the Anne Abatte Award in recognition of
their incredible exploits in the ring in 2008.
Egan also claimed the boxer of the year award, while his fellow
Olympians Paddy Barnes and Darren Sutherland - who both won bronze in
Beijing -, John Joe Joyce and John Joe Nevin received special awards
along with Taylor.
Former Irish coach Gerry Storey of the Holy Family Club in Belfast was
inducted into the IABA Hall of Fame.
Storey, a winner of the prestigious Laureus World Sport Award in 2004,
worked the Irish teams corner at seven European Championships and at the
1972 Olympic Games in Munich, the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and the
1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, where one of the boxers from his own club
Hughie Russell, won a bronze medal.
The Best Club award went to the Ryston BC in Newbridge Co Kildare and
Larry Durand picked up the Best Referee & Judge Award.
Speaking at last nights ceremony, IABA President Dominic O'Rourke said
that they were extremely proud of their boxers phenomenal achievements
in 2008 and thanked their sponsors the Irish Daily Star and the Moran's
Red Cow Hotel.
The President of the Irish Olympic Council Pat Hickey and the Chairman
of the Irish Sports Council Ossie Kilkenny said that Irish boxers did
their nation proud in 2008.
Jimmy Magee, who performed the Master of Ceremonies with his usual
aplomb last evening, described 2008 as an incredible year for Irish
amateur boxing adding that the sport was going from strength to
strength.
The Minister for Sports, Arts and Tourism, Martin Cullen TD, who was
unable to attend last nights ceremony, was full of praise for the Irish
amateur boxing.
He said: "It was an amazing achievement that Irish boxers claimed medals
at every international tournament entered last year, confirming 2008 as
one of the most successful years in the history of Irish Boxing. For
that, all of you should be immensely proud.
"I would like to wish everyone well at the Senior Championships next
month and also in the upcoming internationals against the USA. It is
also great to see that there is emerging new talent continuing to come
through the system, which no doubt will keep their established peers on
their toes!
"Irish Boxing has so much to look forward to in the next four year cycle
on a European, World and Olympic level and all roads will hopefully lead
to further success in the London Games in 2012."
