Offaly duo Gráinne and Brian named on Irish team for upcoming world championships

Two Offaly boxers will represent Ireland at the World Boxing Championships, which are being hosted by the World Boxing organisation in Liverpool in September.

Reigning Irish Elite champions Gráinne Walsh from Tullamore (65kg) and Brian Kennedy from Daingean (85kg) were both named in the 17-strong Irish team which was announced by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) this afternoon.

The championships will take place from September 4 to 14. It's the first world championships to be held since April's vote by IABA clubs in favour of affiliation with World Boxing, which will also run the boxing tournament at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

This will be a first world championships appearance for Brian Kennedy, who boxes out of the St Brigid's club in Edenderry.

Gráinne Walsh, a Tullamore woman who boxes out of the St Mary’s club in Tallaght, competed at last summer's Olympics in Paris. She also boxed at a world championships organised by World Boxing's rival governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA), in Serbia in March.

The Irish team for the World Boxing championships in Liverpool also includes Roscommon sisters Aoife O'Rourke (75kg) and Lisa O'Rourke (70kg), and Patsy Joyce of the Olympic Boxing Club in Mullingar (55kg).

National Performance Director, Jon Mackey, will lead the team in Liverpool in the first benchmark championships since his appointment in April.

"This is a red-letter event for Irish Boxing, our first World Boxing World Championships," said Mackey.

"The selected team is awash with talent and potential – some boxers are veterans of international benchmark competition and for others, it will be their first outing at this level.

"The squad has been in training and evaluation in the High Performance Unit since mid-June, working with our coaching team of Zauri Antia, Damian Kennedy, Eoin Pluck, Lynne McEnery and James Doyle, and engaging with Sport Science Medical practitioners in the Institute of Sport – it's coaches and practitioners of this calibre that make the difference at world level."

Mackey added: "I want to thank IABA President, Anto Donnelly, and all on Central Council, for the collaborative leadership approach they took in staging the 2025 National Elite Competition.

"This decision meant boxers moving weight to align with World Boxing’s categories had the time to do so safely and well - keeping athlete welfare is at the centre of decision-making in Irish Boxing."

National Performance Head Coach, Zauri Antia, said: "Our boxers are in a great place – focused, technically and tactically prepared.

"They know what’s ahead of them and will continue their path building skill and fitness levels over the next seven weeks, as we level-up preparations. It's an honour to be selected to represent your country, especially so at World level – I want to congratulate every boxer on their selection, as well as their clubs, club coaches and families."

Team Ireland will, as part of continued preparation for the World Championships, participate in a multi-nations training camp at the GB Boxing base in Sheffield, in the last two weeks in August.

Team Ireland

51kg Daina Moorehouse, of Enniskerry BC, Wicklow. Daina is from Bray, Co. Wicklow.

54kg Jenny Lehane of DCU Boxing Club, Dublin. Jenny is from Ashbourne, Co. Meath

57kg Michaela Walsh of Holy Family Golden Gloves BC Belfast.

60kg Zara Breslin of Tramore BC, Waterford.

65kg Grainne Walsh of St. Mary’s BC, Tallaght, Dublin. Grainne is from Tullamore, Co. Offaly

70kg Lisa O’Rourke of Castlerea BC, Co. Roscommon

75kg Aoife O’Rourke of Castlerea BC, Co. Roscommon

50kg Louis Rooney of Star BC, Belfast

55kg Patsy Joyce of Olympic BC, Mullingar Co. Westmeath

6okg Adam Hession of Monivea BC, Co. Galway

65kg Dean Clancy of Sean McDermott BC, Co. Leitrim. Dean is from Co. Sligo

70kg Matthew McCole of Illies Golden Glove BC Co. Donegal

75kg Gavin Rafferty of Dublin Docklands Boxing Club

80kg Kelyn Cassidy of Saviours Crystal BC, Co. Waterford

85kg Brian Kennedy of St. Brigid’s BC Edenderry Co. Offaly

90kg Jack Marley of Monkstown BC, Dublin

90+kg Martin McDonagh of Galway BC