In association with the IABA, PLATINUM ONE is bringing Ireland’s Olympic Medal winning team to Millstreet in Cork on Friday May 3rd in the first-leg of a two-match International against the Elite boxers of France.
All of Ireland’s medal winners will compete and the bill will be topped by Gold Medal hero Katie Taylor who will fight in Millstreet for the first time in her career.
At the announcement in Cork on Monday ,PLATINUM ONE Chairman Johnny Fortune said the company was delighted to be bringing a truly unique sporting event to Munster.
“We are proud and excited to be bringing Ireland’s Olympic heroes to Co. Cork. This is Ireland’s most successful ever Olympic team and it will be the first time since the triumph in London that they have boxed competitively as a team. We are providing people with the opportunity to see Nevin, Barnes, Conlan and, of course, Katie Taylor, fight top class opposition at one of the great venues in Munster.
“France is a strong boxing nation and with the European Championships being staged in June both nations are using the match as critical final preparation for their elite teams. Since the Games in London it was PLATINUM ONE’s ambition to host an event where the fans could see their heroes with their medals but more importantly to see them compete. We always wanted to showcase them in action.”
The event is unusual in that the international is being staged over two nights, the first in Cork and the second in Belfast two nights later on Sunday May 5th. There will be a total of 14 bouts over the two fight nights at Millstreet in Co. Cork and at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. Each night there will be six male bouts with Gold Medal winner Katie Taylor and her French opponent, a quarter finalist in last year’s World Championships, Estelle Moselly, topping the bill. The international match will be decided on the aggregate scores over the two nights boxing and in the event of a tie a count back of all the scores will determine the winner.
IABA President,Tommy Murphy said: “This international comes just after our boxers have completed a period of intense preparation culminating in a two week training camp in Kazakhstan so they will be in peak condition. The French team sees this match as key to its preparations for the European Finals in June. It will be an exceptional opportunity for boxing purists and general sports fans alike but it will not be for the faint hearted. There will be no quarter asked or given and I know our Head Coach, Billy Walsh, expects Katie and the six men in the team to win this series for Ireland.”
The full French team will be confirmed within the next few weeks, but its Head Coach John Dovi said: “Ireland is a powerful boxing nation. Its success in Beijing followed by the superb performance in London means that to compete we have to bring our best boxers and with the European Finals so close we will be bringing our strongest possible team. I believe we can triumph over the course of the two fight nights. That is certainly our ambition and after intense training since the start of the year, my boxers will be in peak condition for this match just ahead of the European Championships.”
The full Irish team for Fight Night One in Cork will comprise the 5 male boxers who competed in London, Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin, Darren O’Neill, Adam Nolan and the man who so controversially missed out on the Games, Joe Ward. The team will be led in this international fixture by Olympic Gold Medallist, Katie Taylor.
Katie Taylor said she was particularly excited about fighting in Millstreet which is such an iconic old boxing venue. Taylor said she believed her French opponent, Estelle Moselly would provide her with very stiff opposition.
“I want to continue to test myself and there is no doubt that this match will see me pitched against someone of real quality in Estelle. We were in the same half of the draw in last year’s World Championships but she was beaten in the quarter final so we missed what would have been a semi-final fight. I will be happy to show off my Gold Medal to the crowd but I will be focused on winning what promises to be a tough contest and getting a point on the board for Ireland.”
Former Olympian, Mick Dowling, who is Boxing Consultant to PLATINUM ONE, highlighted the importance of the venue
“As the Promoters, we considered that Dublin dominates the schedule of top amateur boxing events and that, on this occasion, we should bring the event to other places. Millstreet is an old venue which lends itself to a fantastic atmosphere and we look forward to a full house roaring on Ireland’s top boxers on the evening of May 3rd.
“This is a one off opportunity. Katie Taylor is a multiple World Champion and an Olympic Gold Medal winner. No Irish athlete, male or female, has ever scaled the same heights so, to see her compete against another world rated boxer and for our silver and bronze medallists to be on the same card means it really is a night not to be missed. We can promise fans that amateur boxing will never have been staged like this before in Ireland and that the production values we will bring to the fight nights will add considerably to the enjoyment.”
The specialist live sports event production company, Sulu Management, has been retained to produce the two nights and the objective is to create a new standard for the presentation of boxing in Ireland. The Olympic heroes will have their medals and there will be competitions for children on the night to pose for photographs with the Champions.
Tickets for this event will be on sale through Ticketmaster from 10am on Tuesday March 12th.
FIGHT NIGHT ONE
MILLSTREET, CO CORK, FRIDAY MAY 3RD 2013
IRELAND TEAM:
· Paddy Barnes
· John Joe Nevin
· Michael Conlon
· Darren O’Neill
· Joe Ward
· Adam Nolan
And topping the bill, Katie Taylor versus Estelle Moselly
Tickets, available for purchase on www.ticketmaster.ie from 10am on Tuesday, March 12th are priced as follows:
§ Inner Ring €100
§ Category 1 €90
§ Category 2 €80
§ Category 3 €70 Under 14 €25 (2 per adult ticket)*
§ Category 4 €55
*There is a set allocation of these tickets available.
