(DEC 23)  As a freelance sports journalist, one often takes for granted the various Press Releases received from Sporting organisations throughout the world, and indeed we often analyse them to see if they are just promoting a particular product or personality, be they amateur or professional.

Others just boast of their own achievements, some of which do not match the actual facts so as the 2016 amateur boxing year draws to a close, it is an opportune moment to praise someone who works as hard as any, and harder than most to satisfy the needs of a sport – boxing - which has seen good times and bad in 2016 whether in Ireland, in Great Britain, the United States or elsewhere in the World.

Too often, tributes appear only if someone is critically injured, seriously ill or dead when they cannot even read any such tribute but this award for the P.R.O of the year in the Irish & International boxing world goes to a man who is very much ‘alive and kicking’ and whose news and results service as a “one man band ” is often picked up not only by sports websites but also by the world’s largest news agencies as well as the National media.

I refer of course to Limerick and IABA P.R.O, Bernard O’Neill (no relation I hasten to add!). He’s contributed to all of the above media over the past 9 years as IABA PRO and indeed also to Limerick FC’s football stories, good and bad days alike, all four seasons plus limited rugby coverage. Indeed for several years before that Bernard has supplied copy to boxing publications around the world including WBAN. Being a PRO for an ‘amateur’ organisation is no easy life as one rarely if ever gets to a tournament outside one’s home country.

Since our good friends at the IABA have never sent him on an International assignment , not even to London 2012 he has to wait patiently for IABA Team Managers or Coaches to phone in results and quotes or alternatively ‘hassle them’ for information as deadlines approach to ensure that IABA clubs and fans of the sport have the very latest news on the IABA website and Social Media long before even the National Media and TV/Radio channels broadcast their early news. Bernard’s work is not dissimilar to that of other National Federations and their P.R teams. Not all Team Managers remember to make that daily call, some even have their mobiles switched off.

There is though one vast difference . Whenever there is a boxing tournament be it at home or anywhere in the World, he is “on the ball”, and ready for action, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week from his Annacotty ‘home-office’ in Limerick. Most other NF PRO’s work strictly Monday/Friday with rare coverage outside 0900/1700 except during Olympics or Major Confederation championships. Time differences between the various continents are such that in the early hours he may be in touch with China, cover a tournament in Italy during the day and be at the National Stadium for an Irish Youth or Junior championships until late night.

When I wondered did Bernard first started writing about sport, initially association football? With a large smile on his face he tells us:

“I first became involved in writing about football with the Evening Echo in 1999. The Cork Evening Echo was selling into Limerick at the time. I covered local football for the Echo for John McHale, who later became Sports Editor. I played with a few local clubs in Limerick, but for some reason Real Madrid never approached me with an offer of Euros 300,000 a week to team up with the Galacticos at the Bernabeu. Strange that!”

How did you become involved with the IABA as their boxing Editor?

“I began updating the media, posting information for the website, social media and more a ‘life support system’ for a ‘break boxing story’, as someone once said to me!

Easy work then Bernard? “During big tournaments it can easily stretch into a 12-hours day,7 days a week. Then there is the preparation for the next day’s bouts, obtaining pictures and all that goes with the job. Overall the National media are fair.

I’m going to say that we do not get enough space, except on the boxing sites, but then again I’ll always say that, as do PRO’s of other sports.

Over the last nine years I have had between seven and nine thousand pieces published and have posted circa 10,000 pieces on the various IABA websites inc social media.

Various Irish Team Managers and Coaches including Zuar Antia ,John Conlan,Eddie Bolger and of course Billy Walsh and Team Managers Anna Moore,Peter O’Donnell, Al Morris, Stephen Connolly,Liam Brereton and many more have been an enormous help as I cannot afford to travel to these International tournaments which I cover for a number of National media,reaching a sizeable audience of hundreds of thousands of people.

At the end of the day it’s all about our incredible boxers. Us keyboard tappers are sitting ‘outside the ring’ while our young boxers are performing magnificently inside it in a notoriously competitive and unforgiving sport. Us keyboard tappers are ‘just the singers not the song’. The boxers are the real heroes.

Your favourite players in the modern era? “I’ll stick with George Best as my favourite footballer, call me old fashioned. I’ve yet to see anyone as naturally talented as Best. John Giles as well - Giles and the great Leeds United side were playing ‘ total football’ years before the Dutch laid claim to the concept. The great Leeds United team packed decent ‘right hooks’ as well, especially Norman Hunter! I heard there is some guy in Spain called Messi who is ‘handy enough’ too!

Your favourite boxers, Bernard? “I would go with Sugar Ray Robinson as my favourite Pro! In terms of consistency – eighteen major International titles speak for itself – Katie Taylor, now a Pro herself, is the greatest female boxer of all time and the most successful Irish athlete ever.

I think that the greatest performance from an Irish male boxer, AIBA AOB or Pro, in the last decade, was John Joe Nevin’s Olympic semi-final victory over Cuba’s Lazaro Alvarez the then number one in the World. That was sheer class, with a Mullingar shuffle thrown in for good measure.

We’ve had some great ‘amateurs’ in Ireland over many years and several others of considerable potential for the future both male and female so despite the disappointments of Rio 2016 we can look forward with confidence to the future”.

On the subject of Referees & Judges, Bernard is delighted at the recent AIBA changes. At the time of our interview, before the recent rule changes were announced, he said :

“I firmly believe that all five judges should be scored and not just three. There are times when the random choice of a computer – in selecting the scoring judges – is resulting in the superior boxing losing. That’s been disappointing and the cause of much anguish for boxers, coaches and National Federations of all countries alike, not just Ireland.

The fact that there are only three weight classes for women at the Olympics also has to be addressed urgently. Given the enormous success of female boxing on its debut at London 2012, it was assumed that there would be an extra two weight classes for Rio 2016, but it’s still stuck at three. Recently though there has been promises of two more for Tokyo. That would be a start towards TRUE equality.”

As we concluded the interview came news from the AIBA that two additional weights would be included at the Asian Confederation championships in 2017 (48 kg and 57kg) as well as at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. That as Bernard says is but one small step forward -no more than that.

WBAN thanks all the P.R.O’s ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’ who have submitted news and Press Releases since our first issue including Bernard and those from other countries as well as from USOC and USA Boxing.