Golden Gloves Boxing Club, Kilkeel, recently celebrated its first ever Irish champion following 14-year-old Shea Murney’s impressive win in the U-15 54kg final at the IABA (Irish Athletic Boxing Association) National Junior Cadet Championships.
Shea, who began boxing at the age of 11, overcame a tough opponent in Tommy Murray from Sliabh Luachra Boxing Club, Castleisland, in the final held on Friday 29 August. The victory marks a significant milestone for both Shea and the club.
A student at St Mark’s High School, this was Shea’s second national final of the year, having narrowly missed out on a title in the IABA National Boy/Girl Championship finals earlier in the season, losing to the Dublin U-15 champion.
His win at The National Stadium in Dublin adds to an already remarkable collection of achievements over the past ten months. Shea has also claimed U-15 56kg titles at the Ulster 9 Counties Championships, the Mid-Ulster Championships, the Ulster Championships, and the prestigious Manchester Box Cup.
With this latest victory, Shea is now in strong contention for selection to the Ireland squad that will travel to the European U-15 Boxing Championships in Budva, Montenegro, this October.
Shea, who lives between Kilkeel and Atticall, is coached by Matthew Toner — himself a former national champion, having claimed titles with the Mourne All Blacks club in 2007 and 2008.
Golden Gloves Boxing Club has produced seven Irish finalists since its formation just four years ago. Earlier this year, another club member, Caoilte Jones, narrowly missed out on an All-Ireland title in the U-18 60kg category, losing to a European champion in the final.
Matthew, who co-founded Golden Gloves BC alongside Dermott McCabe and Stephen O’Hare, expressed his pride at the club’s progress and recent milestone. Speaking about the club’s first ever Irish champion, he said: “I’m over the moon and I’m immensely proud of what the club has done in such a short period of time – the lads have been knocking on the door and it’s great to get over the line with an Irish champion.”
The victory is especially meaningful for Matthew, who has been best friends with Shea’s dad, Alan, since childhood. Shea, the new champion, is also Matthew’s godson. “Shea deserves it – he’s put the work in. He goes over to England to fight and spar, his dad runs him the length and breadth of Ireland to spar the best in the country, so he’s fully committed. I’m proud of him, not just because he’s my godson, but because he’s got everything that he deserves, in a sport where you don’t always get what you deserve,” Matthew added.
Shea’s journey hasn’t been easy. After losing his first six amateur fights, many might have walked away, but instead, Shea decided to dig deep and put in the hard work. His dedication led to an eight-month unbeaten streak, during which he won 23 bouts, only ending with a narrow defeat to Jayden Wall of the Sacred Heart club in the IABA National Boy/Girl Championship finals in April. His recent title win has already inspired others in the club.
“From the day and hour he took his last defeat, something went off in him like a switch,” Matthew explained. “There was a fire in him and he trained like a demon for eight months. He’s an absolute inspiration to everybody here – we had very talented boxers that had drifted away from the club, now they’ve all come back because of Shea’s success.”
Shea’s younger brothers, Alfie and Loui, are also members of Golden Gloves Boxing Club, and Shea now has his sights set on earning a place in the Ireland squad competing in Montenegro this October. He’ll also defend his Ulster 9 Counties title that same month.
But as Matthew points out, the hard work isn’t over. “The real work starts now, because everybody is after him. They want to take that national title off him – so he has to train like he’s second best, because it’s easy to get complacent.”
Golden Gloves Boxing Club, located on the Dunavil Road, runs training sessions for their senior team (ages 9–35) at 7pm, Monday to Thursday, and for their junior team (ages 5–8) at 6pm, Monday to Wednesday. Anyone with an interest in boxing is welcome to join.
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