Young Wexford woman, Kayleigh Byrne, is through to the semi-final stages of the U-19 European Boxing Championships…
Who is Kayleigh Byrne?
Kayleigh Byrne is a 17-year old amateur boxer who fights out of Gorey Boxing Club in Wexford, Ireland. She is a five time National Boxing Champion in Ireland. She won a bronze medal in last year’s European Boxing Championships and she is guaranteed a Bronze medal at this year’s ongoing European Boxing Championships, with a semi-final bout to look forward to. She is fighting in the 51kg division of the championships.
Who did she defeat beforehand?
In the U-19 European Boxing Championships, she has had two fights to date. Her first fight was in the last 16 against Turkish opponent, Emine Kilinc. Her Turkish opponent, Kilinc, was viewed as an “extremely tough test” by Kayleigh’s local boxing club before the fight given that her opponent claimed a European silver medal in last year’s competition. Despite that, Kayleigh won the fight by a judge’s decision.
In the quarter-finals, Kayleigh fought Adela Sanislova, a hometown Czech Republic opponent. Kayleigh stopped her at the start of Round 2, not allowing the judges to have any decision on the proceedings.
Who will she fight in the semi-finals?
In the semi-finals, Kayleigh Byrne will come up against an English opponent, Ruby Imogen White. This will be no easy task though.
Ahead of the fight, her club – Gorey Boxing Club – stated:
“Kayleigh keeps getting better and better and we fear nobody. We’re so proud of her. She is a real diamond,” they said.
Her English opponent is the current European and World Champion, while she was also awarded with SportsAid’s One-to-Watch Award for 2024.
When are the semi-finals?
Kayleigh’s semi-final will take place on Wednesday, October 8th in the Czech Republic.
Is there a live-stream of the fight?
Yes, all of the European Boxing Championship fights are being live-streamed on YouTube. The scheduled time for her next fight has since been confirmed. Kayleigh will be in the ring at approximately 1:15pm (Irish time).
Watch live:
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Alternatively, the YouTube boxing channel to watch Kayleigh’s next fight is here.
Then select ‘Live’.
Is she guaranteed a medal?
Yes, no matter what happens, Kayleigh will be returning with a European Bronze medal at the minimum.
What is the Team Ireland team?
Along with Kayleigh, four other boxers from Team Ireland have secured podium finishes and will also compete in the European Boxing Championships sem-finals. They include Sean McCusker, Grace Conway, Nessa Tabachuk, and John Donoghue.
Team Ireland
48kg Chloe Cox, Setanta BC, Co. Kildare
50kg Kurt Kinsella, Monkstown BC Dublin
51kg Kayleigh Byrne, Gorey BC, Co. Wexford
55kg Michael Reilly. St. Paul’s BC, Co. Waterford
57kg Grace Conway, Tredagh BC, Co. Louth
60kg Sean McCusker, Dealgan BC, Co. Louth
65kg John Donoghue, Olympic BC, Co. Westmeath
70kg Katelyn Butler, St. Colman’s BC Co. Cork
70kg Patrick Kelly, St. Abban’s/Kilmyshall BC Co. Wexford
75kg Nessa Tabachuk, Celtic Eagles BC, Co. Galway
75kg Jason Whelan, Dublin Docklands BC
85kg Chulainn McDonnell, Whitechurch BC, Dublin
90kg Shay O’Dowd, Swords BC Dublin
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.
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