(FEB 5) The 2019 GOLDEN GIRL championships in Boråshallen • Borås, Sweden reached its conclusion on Sunday night (03 Feb) when the tournament’s top award went to THE GOLDEN GIRL: Nien-Chin Chen, Taipei.

Motivation: “It was never a doubt, this was the most impressive exhibition we had ever seen, Ms Chen makes boxing look like poetry, with small moves, hands down she makes her opponent miss and then punish them with extreme precise shots, with extreme talent and unbelievable vision, making opponents miss, this was a true new champion there can only be ONE Golden Girl and: Nien-Chin Chen is the one!”, so confirmed Golden Girl organiser Ray Husac as the event came to its successful conclusion in Sweden.
Ray went on: “It was the best ever! An amazing weekend with so many great boxers. WE can only thank every single one that attended, this is YOUR tournament, YOU made it happen. BIG THANK YOU!

It has been a long journey over these 10 years and it has been better and better and bigger! This year was a record again!

Female boxing has developed so much during the years and I am amazed about how good a feeling it is on this tournament.
Now we aim for another 10 years, making it bigger and better and even more fun.

A ‘Big Big’ THANK YOU to all boxers, trainers, coaches, crews, officials, commentators, broadcasters, nannies, timekeepers visitors and media. If I have forgotten someone, a ‘Big’ thank you to you as well :)

See you next year!”.... Ray and Mona Husac

WBAN can confirm that the ‘Golden Girl Championship 2020’ event will take place from FRI, 31 JAN 2020-2 FEB 2020 and as always at the Boråshallen • Borås, Sweden.

Here is a complete list of all the 2019 awards on Sunday and where the award winners came from to attend this prestigious European tournament.

Best Senior Elite: Caroline Veyre, Canada
Best Youth: Nillada Meekon, Thailand
Best Junior: Bojana Gojkovic, Montenegro
Best Diploma: Maria-Teresa Sannino, Italy
Best Technical boxer: Caroline Veyre, Canada
Best Slugger: Vilma Viitanen, Finland
Fight of the Tournament : Panpatchara Somneck Thailand -versus Lauren Dempsey, Ireland
Best Judge: Patrik Eliasson, Sweden
Best Referee: Muhammad Alsaidi, Iraq
Best Club/Team: Norway Female Boxing , Norway
Prospect of the year: Nicole Irgens Martinez, Norway
THE GOLDEN GIRL: Nien-Chin Chen, Taipei

When will we know the dates of the 2020 Golden Girl tournament?

 Those dates have already been agreed (31 Jan-03 Feb) so that all those from outside Western Europe – and within – will have ample time to plan. This year alas they were too close to the Irish Senior Elites for example for the best of the Irish boxers at that grade to attend due to risking injury so close to the National championships which remains the most important domestic event of the year.
Even without the like of Kellie Harrington, Grainne Walsh, Michaela Walsh and others it proved a good tournament for Ireland with several medals now back on Irish soil, among the most notable being European U/22 champion Amy Broadhurst who claimed gold in the 64kg Light welter division.

European Youth and Junior champions Daina Moorehouse and Lauren Dempsey both had to settle for silver.

Broadhurst convincingly beat Russia’s Alexandra Ordina ,a two times European and Russian champion, but Dempsey was unlucky to lose on a 3-2 split verdict to Thailand’s Olympic and World Youth champion Panpatchara Somnuek in the featherweight decider.
“I thought I’d done enough to win it and so did my coaches and everyone else in the stadium but I’m delighted with my performance as she’s a year older than me and is the World and Youth Olympic champion, I hope I will get her again,” said Dempsey of the Ryston BC in Kildare.

Moorehouse was beaten on a unanimous decision by Thai light-fly and World Youth silver medallist Nillada Meekon in the 48kg final, in another close contest.

Dublin’s Baldoyle BC also impressed in Boras with their 4-strong team bringing home 3 gold and 1 silver.

Robyn Preston secured gold with no one in her weight. Megan Coleman earned gold with an excellent display of boxing winning her first fight on a unanimous decision and winning her semi-final and final with stoppages.

Ellie Preston won her final with a first round stoppage.

Emma Flannery won her first fight very convincingly and put a great display in the final against a Russian girl who is 3 times European and 2 times world champion with over 200 fights to end up with a silver.

Now let’s turn to another great event for female boxer, albeit not a tournament on this occasion and that is the annual St Brigid’s Edenderry, Summer Sparring camp for 2019 an important year from boxers t all grades with multi International tournaments and World 2019 and Olympic 2020 qualifiers ahead. Here’s what you need to know about that big event in County Offaly.

Organiser and St Brigid’s Head Coach Liam Morley Brereton tells WBAN : “Eight Rings in the last few years - we have had Multiple World Champions in all Grades inc India’s 6 time AIBA World Elite Champion, the ‘one and only’ Mary Kom, numerous Continental Champions, other Olympic Champions boxers from Countries all over the world and a few Pro titleholders like England’s Commonwealth champion, Stacey Copeland, who have travelled to Edenderry for the best experience you will get in a Sparring Camp for female boxer. Don’t miss out this year.”

So now the Irish boxers turn their attention to the 2019 Irish National Elite titles at the National Stadium with the finals scheduled for 23rd February.

More on that event nearer the time and hopefully the number of female entries will have increased from the very disappoint number who entered in the past two years.

IF the entries are so low again in such an important year, many will continue to believe that the IABA is not doing enough to promote the women’s sport in Ireland despite the great successes at youth and juniors and Kellie Harrington’s World 60kg crown in 2018. Clearly the IABA DOES need to make greater investment in female boxing throughout the land.