Boxing: Irish youth aim to keep top billing

The best 44 amateurs in the British Isles meet today and tomorrow for the 11 available titles at the third Four Nations tournament at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.

In theory, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales select their 11 national champions for the increasingly prestigious event, but there are one or two exceptions in a tournament that is clearly being used as a warm-up for the world championships in Thailand in July.

During the last two years the Irish team has emerged as the top nation and it will probably be the same this time, even though Gary Keegan, the new performance director of Irish amateur boxing, has a very young side.

"The Four Nations is at the very top of our list for our boxers," insisted Keegan, who works with three other full-time coaches in the Irish set up which is possibly the best in Western Europe.

The semi-finals in the 11 weights will be decided this afternoon and evening, and tomorrow night the winners will meet in the finals. The 11 winners will form part of an embryonic team called Four Nations which could take on the stronger boxing countries like Russia and Cuba in the future.

Scotland also have a new director of coaching in the New Zealander Dr John McKay, who will be in the corner for the first time since leaving his club on Auckland's North Shore to take up his job just 18 days ago.