IRISH AMATEUR BOXING has lost one of its best talents, and medal prospects for the 2016 Olympics, after Jason Quigley opted to join the professional ranks.
The 22-year-old middleweight, who won silver at the 2013 World Championships, will bypass his Olympic dreams, in Rio, to chase world title glory. The Ballybofey native has signed up with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions company.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m really, really excited. I’ve been contemplating whether to make this move or not, but I’ve gone with this feeling in my heart that I have the excitement and hunger to go on and fulfill my childhood dreams of becoming a world professional champion.”
The writing was on the wall in February when Quigley failed to register to defend his national middleweight title. This followed a December 2013 interview he gave to TheScore.ie when he admitted he was tempted to join the pro ranks.
During the interview, he said, “I’ve represented my country with all my heart and I was just so proud to put on that Irish vest. Maybe it’s time to take off the Irish vest now and go to the pro ranks.
“My first ever ambition was to be a professional world champion, ever since I was a young fella.”
Quigley decision to leave the amateur ranks comes on the back of John Joe Nevin’s deal, with Greenblood Boxing, to turn professional back in October.
Mad to think Denmark scored more in the Aviva than South Africa in the rugby
Though there were mistakes throughout by management, anyone who thinks the solution is to bring in a new messiah and to try and play attacking football is not looking deep enough. Of any of the fifty or so possible starters for an Irish team, the only one who could play that style is arter.
Dublin has a much lower population of GAA players than soccer, yet produces Diarmuid Connolly and Ciarain Kilkenny, both players who are wonderful passers of a football, with vision and attacking creativity. Soccer in Dublin produces no such players.
Irish soccer needs an overhaul similar to the one Belgium had in 2000, Spain had in 94, and Germany had in 2002. The style has to change from the age of six. Otherwise, it’s a long freewheel downhill from here
@Chucky Arlaw: the FAI have an awful lot to answer for. Useless
@Chucky Arlaw: are u saying the only player in the panel capable of playing good football is Arter?? Is that correct or have I misunderstood something?
So if McCleans shot goes in and the dynamics of the game change, and we hold on for an hour, we have no such problems in our game anymore? Give it a rest you bore it’s one game we got smashed cos of 2 sloppy goals in 3 minutes which was effectively the game ender. Put the fossil brush and magnifying glass away you pretentious aul eejit.
The North were brave when they appointed Micheal O’Neil and were rewarded. A league of Ireland manager who was progressive, on an upward curve in his career not winding his career down.
Why not take a punt on Stephen Kenny, he’s shown that he can coach players of a certain standard to perform well past expectation and win games against teams with vast superior resources.
The lack of preperation and lack of belief in the players ability means its time for a change at the helm. Would give anything to see Chris Hughton given a go
The north and south join up now stop this silly politics
@Aidan O: pour one bucket of muck into another bucket of muck, you just end up with a big bucket of muck.
@Aidan O: We already have players from the North; Duffy, McLean, O’Kane etc
European championship failure!
Not to worry. We still have John Delaney.
More failure on other international stages.