Boxing

Rylane Boxing Club was founded in 1979 for the benefit of the youth of the area. Membership that year consisted of approximately 25 boys training two nights a week, in the local Community Hall. The first success came by winning a National title at light middleweight in 1984.
Since then several boxers have won titles at Boys, Youths, Intermediate and Senior divisions. The Club has been represented all over the world on the Irish Senior Team, having travelled to Canada, America, and New Zealand and to several European Countries.
This year, Seanie Barrett, the club’s lights welter weight boxer won the Senior Title in Dublin (see below) by defeating the defending champion, Francie Barrett of the Olympic Club in Galway. Francie boxed for Ireland, and carried the Irish flag in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
At present Seanie is preparing for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games qualification tournaments, which will take place in eight countries throughout Europe.
Each year the club hosts 2 tournaments in local towns. This year, to celebrate their 21^st season, they held a very successful show in The Green Glens Arena in Millstreet, where they hosted a team from Westham Boy’s Club in London.

Galway's Barrett Shocked
By Sean Kilfeather
Boxing: There was a sensational end to the long-delayed National light welterweight championship at the National Stadium in Dublin last night when Sean Barrett from the Rylane Club in Cork came from behind to beat Francie Barrett from Olympic in Galway.

At the end of the third round, in which both boxers had slugged it out from the start, the Cork boxer was three points adrift on a score of 7-4; but he managed to turn the contest in his favour in the final round to win by nine points to eight.

The fighters waded into each other in a completely uncompromising manner from the start. The first round ended at 3-1 in favour of the Galway man, and after the second, in which both fighters became involved in some wrestling, he led 4-2. In the third the man who had captained the Irish Olympic team in Atlanta gained the initiative with some good right crosses to the head and body and went three points ahead - only to lose the last as the decibel level rose in the stadium.

Three of the five judges for the bout were from Sweden, but the international between Ireland and Sweden was a disappointment as Ireland lost by four bouts (3-7), losing all five of heavier contests.

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