A group of eight – made up of boxers, coaches and parents – are set to abseil down the side of Belfast’s famous Europa Hotel to help get some of their dedicated players to one of the UK’s “biggest and most competitive tournaments”.
The brave abseiling team are all affiliated with Armagh Amateur Boxing. They are made up of coaches, Ryan Nugent, Eoin Smyth, Eoin McShane and Patrick Traynor; parents of boxers, Natalie Moore and Martin McCormack and two 15-year-old club boxers, Phoebe Clarke and Malachy Nugent.
Their knee-knocking feat will all be in aid of getting another group of eight across to English soil for the highly competitive Manchester Box Cup.
The competition is relatively unique in the boxing world in that it provides more flexible fight categorisation.
As it will be the first fight experience for two of Armagh Amateur Boxing Club crew and coach, Chloe Clarke says the set-up makes it an ideal learning ground for competitors: “They have categories for weight and experience. Most competitions you’re either a novice boxer so 0-5 contests and then an open would be 6 plus.
“But as you would appreciate, someone who has just gone into a 6 plus category could be meeting a boxer that has 20 plus fights and that’s a big gap. The beauty of the Manchester Box Cup is that it’s got three categories, 0-7, 8-14 and 15 plus.”
The boxers who have chosen to be part of this in fantastic trip are Malachy Nugent, Phoebe Clarke, Liam Moore, Danny Traynor, Caoimhe Smyth, Feidhna-Rose O’Neill, Nathan McCormack and Kaylinn McShane.
They will travel with coaches and parents to Manchester where they will stay for the competition from June 19 until June 21.
With flights, accommodation and travel expenses for a sizeable team and its entourage the club are grateful for each and every penny they can get in terms of sponsorship and donations.
They have already had incredible support from Toner Mechanical & Electrical whose invaluable contribution allowed the club to purchase kit, fight vests and some additional financial support.
Said Chloe: “Their sponsorship has been great. It means the guys have a kit they can be proud of and when they are walking through the airport etc everyone sees them and knows they are part of a team.
“It makes them so proud and people look at them as they are going past and it’s brilliant that Toner Mechanical & Electrical have done that for us”.
The club is so much more than sport, says Chloe. For each and every member, it provides a sense of community, socialisation and friendship.
Travel to competition also opens up the possibility for even more networking with like-minded competitors across the island.
“It’s experience in more ways than one,” continued Chloe. “They go over there and make friends and get to know people who understand the level of dedication they put in to what they do.
“We just want them to learn, have fun and make memories so that some day they might look back and remember being part of the club, the people they met and the places they went.”
The comradery extends well beyond the confines of the ring. Armagh Amateur Boxing are so grateful to have such unwavering support from parents of the club and the wider community.
On June 7, the the day of the abseil, facing a breath-taking drop of 167ft each of the brave souls taking part will be heavily supported from the safety of the pavement by a roaring crowd!
Said Chloe: “Some are excited, some are terrified, and one or two are still pretending they ‘didn’t fully read the WhatsApp message’ before agreeing. But they’re doing it for the club, for the kids, and for the craic.”
Every donation, big or small, goes directly towards travel, accommodation, equipment, and ensuring our boxers can represent Armagh with pride.
You can make a contribution to the club’s abseil and Manchester trip via GoFundMe here.
