Boxing Union of Ireland
SportBoxing
AbbreviationBUI
Founded1980
AffiliationEuropean Boxing Union
World Boxing Council
World Boxing Association
LocationDublin
PresidentMel André Christle
ChairmanFrancie McCullagh
SecretaryPatricia Connolly
ReplacedIrish Boxing Board of Control
Official website
www.boxingunion.ie
Republic of Ireland

The Boxing Union of Ireland (BUI) is the governing and sanctioning body for professional boxing in Ireland.

Foundation and organisation

The BUI was founded in 1980, and replaced the BBBofC associated "Irish Boxing Board of Control", which had overseen professional boxing in Ireland through the 1960s and 1970s. The BUI is based at Chancery Place in Dublin and (as of 2017) the president was Brian McKeever.[1]

Amateur boxing in Ireland is run by a separate organisation, the IABA, who operate on an all island basis.

Legal case regarding the BUI and Deirdre Nelson

Deirdre Nelson was granted a professional boxing licence by the British Boxing Board of Control in February 1999, which gave her the right to box anywhere within the European Boxing Union. However, the Boxing Union of Ireland (BUI) forbid her to box until guidelines on women’s boxing were issued by the European Boxing Union in September 1999. In 2001 Nelson won a sex discrimination case against the BUI due to this; she was awarded £1,500 in compensation. The Employment Equality Authority (based in Dublin) stated that the BUI had discriminated against Nelson, violating the Employment Equality Act of 1977.[2][3]

Current Irish champions

[4]

Weight class: Champion: Reign began:
Flyweight Vacant —
Super-flyweight Vacant —
Bantamweight Vacant —
Super-bantamweight Carl McDonald 24 November 2018
Featherweight Eric Donovan 30 March 2019
Super-featherweight Vacant —
Lightweight Gary Cully 1 February 2020
Light-welterweight Vacant —
Welterweight Vacant —
Light-middleweight Craig O'Brien 3 March 2018
Middleweight Vacant —
Super-middleweight Vacant —
Light-heavyweight Vacant —
Cruiserweight Vacant —
Heavyweight Vacant —

Former champions

Bantamweight

[5]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Hugh Russell 5 October 1982 – (Vacated) 0
Tommy Waite 20 December 1997 – (Vacated) 0
Colin Moffett 15 December 2007 – (Vacated) 0

Super-bantamweight

[6]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Paul Hyland 5 July 2008 – (Vacated) 1

Featherweight

[7]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Jon Jo Irwin 16 March 1993 – (Vacated) 0
Patrick Hyland 19 April 2008 – (Vacated) 1
Marco McCullough 19 October 2013 – (Vacated) 0

Super-featherweight

[8]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Pat Doherty 26 March 1988 – (Vacated) 0
Kevin O'Hara 19 April 2008 – (Vacated) 0
Mickey Coveney 12 August 2011 – 3 November 2012 0
Anthony Cacace 3 November 2012 – (Vacated) 0
James Tennyson 27 April 2013 – (Vacated) 0
James Tennyson 10 March 2017 – present 0

Lightweight

[9]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Peter McDonagh 28 January 2006 – 12 July 2008 0
Andrew Murray 12 July 2008 – (Vacated) 1
Gary Cully 1 February 2020 – (Current) 0

Light-welterweight

[10]

Name Duration of reign Defences
PJ Davitt 14 December 1982 – (Vacated) 0
Gary Muir 3 December 1985 – (Vacated) 0
Malcolm Melvin 16 March 1993 – (Vacated) 0
Eamonn Magee 22 May 1999 – (Vacated) 0
Robert Murray 24 May 2005 – (Vacated) 0
Oisin Fagan 3 June 2006 – (Vacated) 0
Andrew Murray 8 December 2007 – (Vacated) 0
Frankie Gavin 18 September 2010 – (Vacated) 0

Welterweight

[11]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Tony Sinnott 24 September 1989 – (Vacated) 0
Billy Walsh 26 January 2008 – 7 February 2009 0
Stephen Haughian 7 February 2009 – (Vacated) 0
Peter McDonagh 6 November 2015 – present 0

Super-welterweight

[12]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Terry Magee 23 June 1987 – (Vacated) 0
Jim Webb 3 December 1998 – (Vacated) 0
Jim Rock 15 April 2000 – (Vacated) 0
Ciaran Healy 8 December 2007 – 5 July 2008 0
Jamie Moore 5 July 2008 – (Vacated) 0
Neil Sinclair 15 May 2009 – (Vacated) 0
Lee Murtagh 21 July 2012 – (Vacated) 1
Peter McDonagh 15 March 2014 – (Vacated) 1
Dee Walsh 22 November 2014 – (Vacated) 0
Paul Upton 23 April 2016 – present 0

Middleweight

[13]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Johnny Curran 27 September 1888 – (Vacated) 0
Myler Keogh 21 December 1896 – (Vacated) 1
Jem Roche 25 September 1900 – (Vacated) 0
Dan Grant 22 October 1908 – (Vacated) 0
Tommy Connolly 30 July 1927 – (Vacated) 0
Paddy Roche 19 December 1939 – (Vacated) 0
Pat O'Connor 4 February 1944 – (Vacated) 0
Bert Hyland 23 June 1949 – (Vacated) 0
Cliff Garvey 22 July 1955 – (Vacated) 0
Peter Sharpe 21 February 1967 – (Vacated) 0
Sam Storey 25 April 1987 – 18 March 1988 0
Steve Collins 18 March 1988 – (Vacated) 0
Darren Sweeney 15 April 1997 – (Vacated) 0
Matthew Macklin 14 May 2005 – (Vacated) 0
Jim Rock 3 June 2006 – (Vacated) 0
Gary O'Sullivan 4 December 2009 – (Vacated) 1
Eamonn O'Kane 12 July 2013 – (Vacated) 0

Super-middleweight

[14]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Ray Close 31 October 1989 – (Vacated) 1
Jim Rock 17 April 1999 – (Vacated) 1
Andy Lee 15 December 2007 – (Vacated) 0
Anthony Fitzgerald 13 February 2010 – (Vacated) 3
JJ McDonagh 25 February 2012 – present 1

Light-heavyweight

[15]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Harry Cowap 22 April 1985 – (Vacated) 1
Jason McKay 11 November 2006 – (Vacated) 0
Jim Rock 12 July 2008 – (Vacated) 0
John Waldron 15 May 2010 – 20 November 2010 0
Ciaran Healy 20 November 2010 – (Vacated) 0
Paddy McDonagh 21 January 2012 – present 0

Cruiserweight

[16]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Darren Corbett 5 November 1996 – (Vacated) 2
Ian Tims 19 March 2011 – (Vacated) 0

Heavyweight

[17]

Name Duration of reign Defences
Gordon Ferris 22 September 1980 – (Vacated) 0
Kevin McBride 2 June 1997 – (Vacated) 0
Coleman Barrett 13 February 2010 – (Vacated) 0
Tyson Fury 14 April 2012 – (Vacated) 0

References

  1. ^ "About". Boxing Union of Ireland.
  2. ^ "Welterweight Deirdre packs a knockout punch for female boxers". independent.
  3. ^ "Woman boxer wins legal fight". The Irish Times.
  4. ^ "Rankings". Boxing Union of Ireland.
  5. ^ "Irish Bantamweight Title". Boxrec.
  6. ^ "Irish Super Bantamweight Title". Boxrec.
  7. ^ "Irish Featherweight Title". Boxrec.
  8. ^ "Irish Super Featherweight Title". Boxrec.
  9. ^ "Irish Lightweight Title". Boxrec.
  10. ^ "Irish Light Welterweight Title". Boxrec.
  11. ^ "Irish Welterweight Title". Boxrec.
  12. ^ "Irish Super Welterweight Title". Boxrec.
  13. ^ "Irish Middleweight Title". Boxrec.
  14. ^ "Irish Super Middleweight Title". Boxrec.
  15. ^ "Irish Light Heavyweight Title". Boxrec.
  16. ^ "Irish Cruiserweight Title". Boxrec.
  17. ^ "Irish Heavyweight Title". Boxrec.

External links

Sports governing bodies in Ireland (IRL)
Categories