Team Ireland’s Jon McConnell has opened Team Ireland’s European Elite Championship campaign in style.
The Belfast man has seen-off Olympian, Turkey’s Necat Ekinci in decisive fashion, maintaining control of the ring and dictating the tempo of the bout. The 70kg Commonwealth Games champ was the 5-0 winner and judges scored the bout 27:30; 27:30; 27:30; 27:30; 27:30.
Jon will box his Last 16 contest on Saturday, against Damian Durkacz of Poland, who was the 5-0 winner over Lithuania’s Aleksandr Trofimcuk this evening. Durkacz, who is 27, is a Tokyo Olympian and the 2026 World Boxing Cup Brazil champion at the weight.
Speaking to Boxing Ireland’s Grainne Walsh after his win, Jon said “First one is always the hardest, everyone knows that. Its a boxing saying. No, I felt good, I felt sharp. I had the first two rounds won and I took the last round off. In these tournaments, you know what it’s like, boxing back to back days.’
Jon adds “The coaches were class in the corner. Everything they shouted was working to perfection. That was the tactics – use the jab early. Dominate from the start. The lead hand was always going to be important, because he’s experienced.
And, on being the first Team Ireland boxer between the ropes, Jon says “It felt good. It gave me an extra push to get the team off to a good start. Its an individual sport, but we’re here as Team Ireland. I definitely feel like, for me, I was happy to be on first so I can give my team mates a bit of support over the next few days.’
Of boxers yet to make their debut in Sofia, 2024 European champion, Mayo’s Shannon Sweeney, gets her championships underway at Last 16 stage on Saturday against Italy’s Chiara Mosetti. Poland’s Angelika Krysztoforska awaits the winner at 48kg medal stages in Monday’s Quarter Final.
Paris Olympian, Daina Moorehouse, renews rivalry with Bulgaria’s Zlatislava Chukanova in the Last 16 of the 51kg category in Saturday’s Afternoon Session. The pair last met at the 2nd Olympic Qualifier in Bangkok in the battle for a quota place – Daina was the victor there. Awaiting the winner in the quarter finals is World and European Games bronze medalist, Spain’s Laura Fuentes Fernandez. Daina last contested against the Spanish boxer at the 2025 World Boxing Championships, and lost on a dreaded 3-2 split.
Jenny Lehane has a bye, and is face to face with fellow Paris Olympian Wassila Lkhadiri at 54kg Last 16 in Sunday’s Afternoon Session. The pair didn’t meet in Paris, as Lkhadiri contested at 50kg and met Daina at Last 16 stage. The winner will take on either Finland or Poland at the medal stages on September 23rd.
Double Olympian, and 2026 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Michaela Walsh also has a bye and opens her account at Last 16 stage in Monday’s Evening Session against Montengro’s Bojana Gojkovic. Poland, Slovakia or Bulgaria will take on the winner on September 23rd for a 57kg medal.
Team Ireland’s Kellie McLoughlin also benefits from a bye to the Last 16 of in the Women’s lightweight category. She’ll take on seasoned French campaigner, Sthélyne Grosy, who has recently moved up to 60kg. She’s a multiple European U22/U23 medalist. The victor in that bout will contest for a medal against either Poland’s Olga Pavlina Papdatou or GB’s Amy Broadhurst.
Evelyn Igharo is two wins away from a medal in the 70kg category – she’s first in action against Belarussian, Aryna Danilchyk in Sunday’s Afternoon Session. The winner of that contest will box for a medal against England, Romania or Denmark.
Reigning World Champion Aoife O’Rourke must wait until Tuesday to begin her tournament. She’s starting at 75kg quarter final stage, against the winner of the Last 16 contest between Poland and France.
Her sister, 2022 World champ and 2025 World silver medalist, Lisa O’Rourke, is boxing for the first time at 80kg. She’s in Last 16 action against Vasiliki Stavridou of Greece in Saturday’s Evening Session. Stavridou is a European and European U23 medalist. England’s Emily Asquith will contest against the winner of that bout for a medal.
80+kg Cliona D’Arcy faces Poland’s Elżbieta Wójcik for a medal, having a bye to the quarter finals. That’s on Sunday’s Evening Session. Wójcik is a two time European Games bronze medalist, a double European Championship silver medalist. The winner of that contest will meet either Turkey or Ukraine in the semi finals.
406 boxers are competing in this World Boxing ranking event, drawn from 40 federations: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, World Boxing Refugee Team, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine.
The complete Championship draw is available here.
All images: Magrit Kincses.
How to Watch
Eurovision Sport will broadcast the complete championships here: https://eurovisionsport.com/en/home
The RTE Player will broadcast selected bouts, here: https://www.rte.ie/player/
Day Two | Preliminaries
Two Team Ireland boxers are in action on Friday, one in each session.
Paris Olympian, and 2026 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, Jude Gallagher, boxes a Last 32 contest on against Slovakia’s Maksym Bocarov in the Afternoon Session, beginning at 11:30am Irish time. The winner there will take on France’s Lounes Hamraoi in the Last 16. Jude will be in action in Bout 5 of Ring A’s Afternoon Session, at around 12:30pm
Dean Clancy, a 65kg Paris Olympian, is also first tomorrow, in the Evening Session. He takes on Germany’s Mohamed Siala in a Last 32 bout, opening the session in Ring A at 4pm The victor will meet France’s Hugo Grau at Last 16 stage. Clancy and Grau last met, competitively, in the Ireland V France international in the National Stadium in February, and sparred during Boxing Ireland’s Commonwealth Games Camp in Belfast in July.
Schedules Afternoon Session, Ring A | Afternoon Session, Ring B | Evening Session Ring A | Evening Session Ring B
Team Ireland
48kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s BC, Mayo
51kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry BC, Wicklow
54kg Jennifer Lehane, DCU BC, Dublin
57kg Michaela Walsh, Holy Family BC, Belfast
60kg Kellie McLoughlin, St. Catherine’s BC, Dublin
60kg Jude Gallagher, Two Castles Olympic, Tyrone
65kg Dean Clancy, Sean McDermott BC, Leitrim
70kg Evelyn Igharo, Clann Naofa BC, Louth
70kg Jon McConnell, Holy Trinity BC, Belfast
75kg Aoife O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon
75kg Gavin Rafferty, Dublin Docklands BC
80kg Lisa O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon
80+kg Cliona D’Arcy, Tobair Pheadair BC, Galway
90kg Jack Marley, Monkstown BC, Dublin
Support Staff
Team Manager| Jon Mackey
Head Coach | Damian Kennedy
Coach | James Doyle
Coach | Jay Delaney
Coach | Liam Cunningham
Coach | Lynne McEnery
Physiotherapist| Rob Tuomey
Doctor | Dr. Jim Clover
Psychologist | Dr. Paul Aherne
Analyst | Alan Swanton
HOPS | Paul Carragher
About the European Elite Championships
- This is the first European Boxing Elite Championships under the banner of European Boxing and within the World Boxing family
- This is a World Boxing ranking event, with points award from 1st to 8th place: 1st Place -800 points, 2nd Place -500 points; 3rd Place -300 points; 4th Place -300 points and 150 points for those finishing 5th-8th place.
- 40nnational federations are eligible to compete in the tournament.
- Draw: approx. 4:30pm, September 16th.
- Competition dates: 17th-25th September. There is no rest day at this tournament. Quarter finals take place on September 22nd and 23rd. , semi finals on September 24th. Finals and medal ceremonies will take place on during the second session on September 24th, and on September 25th.
- Afternoon Sessions will begin at 12pm, Irish time – Evening Sessions will get underway at 4pm.
- Competition venue: Asics Arena, Sofia, Bulgaria