A 13-strong Irish Elite squad fly out to Germany tomorrow (February 28th) to begin a training camp in Hennef. London 2012 Olympians Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin and Darren O’Neill have been included in the Irish panel. Current Elite champions Paddy Barnes, Michael McDonagh, Ross Hickey, Adam Nolan, Joe Ward, Tommy McCarthy and Con Sheehan are also included..
Barring injury the above seven will represent Ireland at the final Olympic qualifier for European male boxers in Trabzon, Turkey in April.
Elite female champions Ceire Smith and Sinead Kavanagh will also travel to Germany, along with Steven Ward, a silver medal winner for Northern Ireland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Ward doubles up at heavyweight with Tommy McCarthy.
Ireland will train and spar with the host nation, Brazil, Mongolia and Moldova in Hennef before competing in the Chemistry Cup Multi-Nations which gloves off in Halle, Germany on March 13.
The squad, which finished up a training camp at the Irish army base in the Curragh, Co. Kildare recently, have one final training camp in the Ukraine later next month before heading directly to
Trabzon for the qualifiers for the XXX Olympiad.
Ireland head coach Billy Walsh believes that the Germany training camp and the Chemistry Cup tournament will give the Irish squad the opportunity to build on the work they began at the Curragh.
“It’s a good place to get focused. It’s all part of our preparations for the qualifiers. We’re looking to get our preparations right for Trabzon,” he said.
“The team will also compete in the Chemistry Cup which should be very competitive this year. We had a very productive training camp at the Curragh and we will be looking to build on that in Germany
in the build up to the Olympic qualifiers.”
Irish squad for training camp Hennef, Germany
49Kg: Paddy Barnes (Holy Family)
51Kg: Ceire Smith (Cavan)
52Kg: Michael Conlan (St John Bosco)
56Kg: John Joe Nevin (Cavan)
60Kg: Michael McDonagh (St Mary’s)
64Kg: Ross Hickey (Grangecon)
69Kg: Adm Nolan (Bray)
75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)
75Kg: Sinead Kavanagh (Drimnagh)
81Kg: Joe Ward (Moate)
91Kg: Tommy McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett)
91Kg: Steven Ward (Monkstown)
91+Kg: Con Sheehan (Clonmel)
Coaches: Billy Walsh, Zuar Antia, Jimmy Halpin, Eddie Bolger
Physio: Conor McCarthy
Strength & Conditioning: John Cleary