Sword’s BC boxer, Shay O’ Dowd, recently competed at the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) World Youth Championships in Budva, Montenegro, returning home with a much-coveted bronze medal. The World Youth Championships pits the best 17/18-year-old talent from around the globe against each other and is attended by all the world’s top boxing federations.

O’Dowd a three – time Irish champion and seventeen years old, was drawn in the last sixteen of the championship against a tough Puerto Rican southpaw. O’Dowd started fast, stunning his opponent early, giving him two standing eight counts before the referee waved the fight off. Next O’Dowd faced an experienced Georgian slugger who was also a European medallist. The fight was an all-action affair and declared by the Irish online boxing media as fight of the tournament with both boxers sharing multiple standing eight counts and the Swords star sustaining a hand injury in the second round and falling behind on the score cards. O’Dowd came out swinging in the final round, stopping his opponent with a superb display of technical boxing and bravery to the delight of the Irish support and Irish boxing fraternity watching at home. Unfortunately, O’Dowd was declared unfit to box by the tournament doctors due to his hand injury so had to withdraw from the tournament and settle for a valued bronze medal.
Swords BC head coach David Byrne spoke about his boxer’s achievement “A world medal is massive for our club. Shay has blasted his way into Irish boxing history and proven himself as a world class athlete and I’m sure he will go all the way to the top in the sport”.

Next up for O’Dowd is the National Under 18 in January which is also a qualification for the European championships.