Monkstown Boxing Club is a DLR PPN member and recently submitted an item which was published in our July ezine, about their recent success at the European Games in Poland.
There were amazing jubilant scenes at the European Games in Krakow Poland and all around Ireland, in particular in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown as 20 year old Irish Heavyweight from Monkstown Boxing Club Jack Marley won 3 bouts in 6 days against highly fancied opposition from Greece, Croatia, Spain and secured Olympic Qualification in Paris 2024 and brought back a hard earned European Silver medal after losing in a tight final against Italy.
Monkstown’s second boxer on the men’s team of 6, flyweight Sean Mari lost in his opening bout against Spain, Sean will have another chance to secure Olympic Qualification when he competes at the World Qualification event in early 2024. Sean who is in the Irish Defence Forces is also 2 time Irish Elite Champion and World Army Boxing Bronze Medalist.
Jack Marley joined Monkstown Boxing Club (in Fitzgerald park) when he was 9 years of age, he started competing for the club aged 11 in the Dublin Boxing Leagues, Dublin Championships and All Irelands. Although he had instant success winning his first All Ireland Championship aged 11, he had to really dig deep for the next six years as his next Irish title eluded him (beaten in 2 finals by agonising split decisions), Jack was true to the clubs mantra of “no matter what happens, win lose or draw – we keep coming back”, Jack eventually won his 2nd Irish title aged 17 and competed at the European U18s for Ireland where he lost in the Quarter finals. He retained his Irish title again and won Bronze at the European U22 championship, the following year he would upgrade that to Gold and became European U22 Heavyweight Champion. He also became Ireland’s youngest Heavyweight champion of all time at the tender age of 18. Jack’s success story at the European Games & qualifying for the Paris Olympics is a great example to all kids in sports….which he shares so often with younger club members – the club has over 120 competing boxers at the moment, as well as Junior & Senior Beginners Classes, Non-Contact Boxing Classes and Adults Community Boxercise classes.
Jack was a recipient of the DLRCC An Cathaoirleach’s awards in 2022, which was greatly awarded by DLRCC Chief Executive Frank Curran and An Cathaoirleach Lettie McCarthy.