Northern Irish Pro Boxing

[deighan]

Irish amteur boxing is thriving and our boxers often do well on the international stage. However there is no real depth in our professional ranks? No regular shows , no shows outside of Belfast and very few managers or promoters.

Any thoughts on why this is?

[slapbangwhallop]

Irish amteur boxing is thriving and our boxers often do well on the international stage. However there is no real depth in our professional ranks? No regular shows , no shows outside of Belfast and very few managers or promoters.

Any thoughts on why this is?

There are regular shows. There was a show in Dublin this month as well.

[deighan]

Sorry mate should have clarified Northern Ireland. We have nothing lol

[cmck2009]

Alio wilton has a show in March

McGuigans show in April

Mark Dunlop has 2 shows 1 in May and 1 in June

Their is 4 shows lol

[deighan]

4 shows in next 4 months. Whereas most cities in England will have at least double this.

[mickey1975]

4 shows in next 4 months. Whereas most cities in England will have at least double this.

Apart from London, and sometimes Liverpool, hardly any cities have even one show per month. Belfast does ok for its size and has a massive boxing culture.

[expe]

4 shows in next 4 months. Whereas most cities in England will have at least double this.

Apart from London, and sometimes Liverpool, hardly any cities have even one show per month. Belfast does ok for its size and has a massive boxing culture.

Don't think we've had a show for about 3 years now and the last one at the Guild Hall was 6 or 7 years ago. The boxing scene in Belfast is huge, but I think there's been about 5 shows outside Belfast in the last 30 years.

[cmck2009]

it not as big as england where the shows can be separated out every week

[gkt999]

With the medical conditions implemented by the BBBOC and the studies undertaken for transport to Neuro units etc you can't go far from Belfast. The Royal hospital is the only Neuro unit in NI so we are restricted. Also those towns within 30 mins traveling (based on an ambulance at 30-35 mph) again Neuro regulation stuff. Are harder to sell tickets in, Belfast is the hub and the easiest place to sell out a show, it purely comes down to restrictions and money.

If the small hall Belfast promoters made any money from these shows there would be more of them but without TV money these shows always run at a loss, 2-7k a pop.

[Crease]

Professional boxing needs more money in Belfast, maybe if they start televising some of the shows on BBC NI to gain interest.

We do have some good young fighters knocking about right how - Marco McCullough, Dan McShane, Ryan Burnett, Matthew Wilton - and all of them with prefect records this far...

[gkt999]

I'd agree Crease and it is something Alio and I have been pushing for years but without the cash it's hard work. There's Luke Wilton has taken a fight at a days notice against Lee Haskins just to get a wage as they don't get proper purse fees when fighting in Belfast in his dads shows.

I'm sure there's other towns that have the same issues.

[Crease]

I'm sure there's other towns that have the same issues.

There is mate. It's the same situation as some of the smaller English cities. But you'd like to think that Belfast has an advantage due on them due to it being a capital city (not to get political).

But, I think that Belfast should be the central hub for our boxing talent to gravitate toward.... And bearing that in mind, I would like to think we could do a little better than we currently are.

[steve689]

Paul McCloskey and Eamonn O'Kane's management team were trying to organise a show in Derry for earlier this year but the Board said no because of the distance from a neuro unit (as Gareth mentioned) if I remember correctly.

[Crease]

Paul McCloskey and Eamonn O'Kane's management team were trying to organise a show in Derry for earlier this year but the Board said no because of the distance from a neuro unit (as Gareth mentioned) if I remember correctly.

:(
Yeah mate, I heard something about it not too long ago. Whereabouts in Derry where they gonna hold it? Millennuim Forum, I'm guessing?

[steve689]

Not exactly sure of the venue Crease just knew it was to be in Derry. Should've gone over to the leisure centre in Letterkenny where Brian Petrers used to run.

[deighan]

no chance of a show in coleraine then lol yes definately so many good boxers around , wilton was simply to small at the weekend! hopefully alio can get more show son and maybe as mentioned above a deal with bbc or something and you could see a lot more of our top amateurs turning pro at home