Irish boxing heroes condemn incident involving masked men with machetes at youth competition

"It has brought great shock and sadness."

Gardaí are investigating an incident at a national boxing tournament in County Roscommon, where a number of men armed with machetes entered a boxing venue on Friday night.

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has hit out at the actions of these men at the National Boy 4 Boxing Championships, branding it as “abhorrent”.

Disgusting scenes at the All Ireland under 14s last night. Jesus Christ, keep that madness away from the kids

— Carl Frampton MBE (@RealCFrampton) March 2, 2024

Irish boxing heroes condemn incident involving masked men with machetes at youth boxing competition

A man was taken to hospital for treatment for injuries, which are understood to be non-life-threatening, as a result.

In a statement, the IABA said: “That such an incident could occur at a children’s sporting event is abhorrent and is roundly condemned by every member of the Irish boxing family.

“Understandably there will be clubs, boxers, officials and supporters at a loss. But in the interest of their safety, there is no option, risk remains too high even if the competition proceeds behind closed doors.”

Former two-weight world champion Frampton took to the social media platform ‘X’ to express his disgust at the incident.

“Disgusting scenes at the All Ireland under 14s last night. Jesus Christ, keep that madness away from the kids.”

Tyrone native, and former stablemate of Frampton Cummings shared a clip of the frightening scenes.

All Ireland school boy boxing championships.. absolute carnage!!! pic.twitter.com/NKSV6DDOc7

— Conrad Cummings (@ChampCummings) March 1, 2024

In a statement on social media, Castlerea Boxing Club said it was “so proud to be asked to host this year’s All-Ireland Championships, and we thought that it would be a great historical moment for our club and town, but instead, it has brought great shock and sadness.

“We can only apologise to all of the wonderful people that attended, to the children who trained all year for this weekend and to the people of Castlerea for the hurt that this has caused.

“This is a decision we must make for the safety of our boxers, their families, and our community. We are horrified that such events would take place at any sporting event, let alone a children’s event.”

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