Mourne All Blacks ABC head coach and co-founder Paddy Quinn was presented with a certificate for long-term service to the sport of boxing at the Ulster Boxing Council Volunteer Recognition Awards.
The event, which was held at the Balmoral Hotel in Belfast on Sunday 23 March, recognised volunteers throughout the country who have dedicated themselves to amateur boxing in Northern Ireland.
Paddy, who has been coaching boxing locally for over 50 years, received his certificate from world champion super-featherweight Anthony Cacace.
“When you’re actually shaking hands with somebody who’s won the world title, and because it’s your sport, it means an awful lot to you,” Paddy said.
The man who founded the Mourne All Blacks in 1977, alongside local men Patsy Cunningham and Seamus O’Hare, explained the levels of dedication required to run a boxing club.
“You’re running training four nights a week sometimes, you’re heading off at the weekend for championships — there’s an awful lot to it.
“It’s not just a matter of turning up on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday night, there’s more to it than that.
“You’re traveling from one end of Ireland to the other for competitions, that’s the side people don’t see. People just think you train for a bit then go home again and do nothing else; it’s not like that.”
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