At the announcement in Cork this week ,PLATINUM ONE Chairman Johnny Fortune said the company was delighted to be bringing a truly unique sporting event to the Munster capital.

“We are proud and excited to be bringing Ireland’s Olympic heroes to Co. Cork. This is Ireland’s most successful ever Olympic team and it will be the first time since the triumph in London that they have boxed competitively as a team. We are providing people with the opportunity to see Nevin, Barnes, Conlan and, of course, Katie Taylor, fight top class opposition at one of the great venues in Munster.

“France is a strong boxing nation and with the European Championships being staged in June both nations are using the match as critical final preparation for their elite teams. Since the Games in London it was PLATINUM ONE’s ambition to host an event where the fans could see their heroes with their medals but more importantly to see them compete. We always wanted to showcase them in action.”

The event is unusual in that the international is being staged over two nights, the first in Cork and the second in Belfast two nights later on Sunday May 5th. There will be a total of 14 bouts over the two fight nights at Millstreet in Co. Cork and at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. Each night there will be six male bouts with Gold Medal winner Katie Taylor and her French opponent, a quarter finalist in last year’s World Championships, Estelle Mossely, topping the bill. The international match will be decided on the aggregate scores over the two nights boxing and in the event of a tie a count back of all the scores will determine the winner.

IABA President,Tommy Murphy said: “This international comes just after our boxers have completed a period of intense preparation culminating in a two week training camp in Kazakhstan so they will be in peak condition. The French team sees this match as key to its preparations for the European Finals in June. It will be an exceptional opportunity for boxing purists and general sports fans alike but it will not be for the faint hearted. There will be no quarter asked or given and I know our Head Coach, Billy Walsh, expects Katie and the six men in the team to win this series for Ireland.”

The full French team will be confirmed within the next few weeks, but its Head Coach John Dovi said: “Ireland is a powerful boxing nation. Its success in Beijing followed by the superb performance in London means that to compete we have to bring our best boxers and with the European Finals so close we will be bringing our strongest possible team. I believe we can triumph over the course of the two fight nights. That is certainly our ambition and after intense training since the start of the year, my boxers will be in peak condition for this match just ahead of the European Championships.”

The full Irish team for Fight Night One in Cork will comprise the 5 male boxers who competed in London, Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin, Darren O’Neill, Adam Nolan and the man who so controversially missed out on the Games, Joe Ward. The team will be led in this international fixture by Olympic Gold Medallist, Katie Taylor.

Katie Taylor said she was particularly excited about fighting in Millstreet which is such an iconic old boxing venue. Taylor said she believed her French opponent, Estelle Mossely would provide her with very stiff opposition.

“I want to continue to test myself and there is no doubt that this match will see me pitched against someone of real quality in Estelle. We were in the same half of the draw in last year’s World Championships but she was beaten in the quarter final so we missed what would have been a semi-final fight. I will be happy to show off my Gold Medal to the crowd but I will be focused on winning what promises to be a tough contest and getting a point on the board for Ireland.”

Former Olympian, Mick Dowling, who is Boxing Consultant to PLATINUM ONE, highlighted the importance of the venue

“As the Promoters, we considered that Dublin dominates the schedule of top amateur boxing events and that, on this occasion, we should bring the event to other places. Millstreet is an old venue which lends itself to a fantastic atmosphere and we look forward to a full house roaring on Ireland’s top boxers on the evening of May 3rd.

“This is a one off opportunity. Katie Taylor is a multiple World Champion and an Olympic Gold Medal winner. No Irish athlete, male or female, has ever scaled the same heights so, to see her compete against another world rated boxer and for our silver and bronze medallists to be on the same card means it really is a night not to be missed. We can promise fans that amateur boxing will never have been staged like this before in Ireland and that the production values we will bring to the fight nights will add considerably to the enjoyment.”

The specialist live sports event production company, Sulu Management, has been retained to produce the two nights and the objective is to create a new standard for the presentation of boxing in Ireland. The Olympic heroes will have their medals and there will be competitions for children on the night to pose for photographs with the Champions.

Tickets for this event will be on sale through Ticketmaster from 10am on Tuesday March 12th.

FIGHT NIGHT ONE

MILLSTREET, CO CORK, FRIDAY MAY 3RD 2013

IRELAND TEAM:

· Paddy Barnes
· John Joe Nevin
· Michael Conlon
· Darren O’Neill
· Joe Ward
· Adam Nolan

And topping the bill, Katie Taylor versus Estelle Mossely

Tickets, available for purchase on www.ticketmaster.ie are priced as follows:

§ Inner Ring €100
§ Category 1 €90
§ Category 2 €80
§ Category 3 €70 Under 14 €25 (2 per adult ticket)*
§ Category 4 €55
*There is a set allocation of these tickets available.

The Odyssey Arena in Belfast on Sunday May 5th will host the second leg of a two match International against France. All of Ireland’s medal winners will compete and the bill will feature Belfast’s own Olympic Bronze Medallists, Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan and Gold Medal hero Katie Taylor who will fight in the city for the first time since her rise to global prominence. At the announcement in Belfast today on Monday, PLATINUM ONE CEO Fintan Drury said the company was delighted to be bringing a truly unique sporting event to the city.

“We are proud and excited to be bringing Ireland’s Olympic heroes to Belfast. This is Ireland’s most successful ever Olympic team. For the second Games in a row Ireland’s Olympic heroes have been boxers. This event will provide people with the opportunity to see local boys Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan fight in their home town for the first time since they won their bronze medals as well as Silver Medallist John Joe Nevin. Gold Medallist Katie Taylor will fight in Belfast for the first time. At the iconic Belfast venue, Katie Taylor will meet French 64kg titleholder Laetitia Chevalier.

“This is the first time that all our medal winners will fight on the same card and fight as a team. France is a strong boxing nation and with the European Championships being staged in June both nations are using the match as critical final preparation for their elite teams. Since the Games in London it was PLATINUM ONE’s ambition to bring the boxers to where fans could see their heroes with their medals but more importantly to see them compete. We always wanted to showcase them in action.”

The Head Coach with the IABA High Performance Unit, Billy Walsh said: “This international comes just after our boxers will have completed a period of intense preparation culminating in a two week training camp in Kazakhstan so they will be in peak condition and the French team also sees this match as key to its preparations for the European Finals a month later. It will be an exceptional opportunity for boxing purists and general sports fans alike but it will not be for the fainthearted.

“People throughout Northern Ireland have never had such an offering before. Paddy Barnes is ranked 6th in the world and went within a whisker of an Olympic Final in that mammoth contest in London. Michael Conlan is ranked 3 rd at 52Kg and of course, Katie Taylor is a multiple World Champion and an Olympic Gold Medal winner. Then you have silver medallist John Joe Nevin, Joe Ward who, at 19 years of age, has been ranked in the world’s top 10 for over a year as well as the two emerging Donegal men in McLaughlin and Quigley. What a night is in prospect and we want and expect a raucous full house to cheer us on to victory over France.”

Speaking on his own behalf and that of Belfast’s other bronze medallist, Michael Conlan, double Olympic medallist, Paddy Barnes said: “It’s well past time that what we do is taken out of Dublin and the National Stadium to other parts of Ireland. A night’s amateur boxing at this level is fantastic entertainment and the line up that PLATINUM ONE has established means the Odyssey will be the place to be on May 5 th . Michael and I will be fighting for European Gold a month later so having an international in early May will mean the boxing will be of the highest quality. I can’t wait!”

Speaking on behalf of the Promoters, PLATINUM ONE CEO, Fintan Drury, emphasised the importance of bringing the event to Belfast

“Dublin dominates the schedule of top amateur boxing events and we felt we should bring the event to other places. With Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan among the world’s best amateurs it seemed like the perfect time to bring a top quality international match to the Odyssey. We can promise fans that amateur boxing will never have been staged like this before and that the production values we will bring to the fight nights will add considerably to the enjoyment.”

The specialist live sports event production company, Sulu Management, has been retained to produce the two nights and the objective is to create a new standard in the presentation of boxing in Ireland. The Olympic heroes will have their medals and there will be competitions for children on the night to pose for photographs with the Champions.

FIGHT NIGHT TWO
THE ODYSSEY, BELFAST, SUNDAY MAY 5 TH 2013

IRELAND TEAM:
· Paddy Barnes
· John Joe Nevin
· Michael Conlan
· Joe Ward
· Jason Quigley
· Willie McLaughlin