Boxing Union of Ireland

The Boxing Union of Ireland (BUI) is the governing and sanctioning body for professional boxing in Ireland.

Foundation and organisation The BUI was founded in 1980, and replaced the BBBofC associated "Irish Boxing Board of Control", which had overseen professional boxing in Ireland through the 1960s and 1970s. The BUI is based at Chancery Place in Dublin and (as of 2017) the president was Brian McKeever.

Amateur boxing in Ireland is run by a separate organisation, the IABA, who operate on an all island basis.

Legal case regarding the BUI and Deirdre Nelson Deirdre Nelson was granted a professional boxing licence by the British Boxing Board of Control in February 1999, which gave her the right to box anywhere within the European Boxing Union. However, the Boxing Union of Ireland (BUI) forbid her to box until guidelines on women’s boxing were issued by the European Boxing Union in September 1999. In 2001 Nelson won a sex discrimination case against the BUI due to this; she was awarded £1,500 in compensation. The Employment Equality Authority (based in Dublin) stated that the BUI had discriminated against Nelson, violating the Employment Equality Act of 1977.

Current Irish champions

Weight class:Champion:Reign began: FlyweightVacant Super-flyweightVacant BantamweightVacant Super-bantamweightMatty Boreland13 September 2025 FeatherweightVacant Super-featherweightColm MurphyJuly 1 2023 LightweightGary Cully1 February 2020 Light-welterweightEvan Dalton12 July 2025 WelterweightSenan Kelly4 October 2024 Light-middleweightCraig O'Brien3 March 2018 MiddleweightPaul Ryan4 April 2026 Super-middleweightColly Condon28 December 2022 Light-heavyweightRob “Snags” Molloy16 August 2024 CruiserweightVacant HeavyweightStephen Donfenobache Fennessy10 October 2025

Former champions Bantamweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Hugh Russell5 October 1982 – (Vacated)0 Tommy Waite20 December 1997 – (Vacated)0 Colin Moffett15 December 2007 – (Vacated)0

Super-bantamweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Paul Hyland5 July 2008 – (Vacated)1

Featherweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Jon Jo Irwin16 March 1993 – (Vacated)0 Patrick Hyland19 April 2008 – (Vacated)1 Marco McCullough19 October 2013 – (Vacated)0

Super-featherweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Pat Doherty26 March 1988 – (Vacated)0 Kevin O'Hara19 April 2008 – (Vacated)0 Mickey Coveney12 August 2011 – 3 November 20120 Anthony Cacace3 November 2012 – (Vacated)0 James Tennyson27 April 2013 – (Vacated)0 James Tennyson10 March 2017 – present0

Lightweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Peter McDonagh28 January 2006 – 12 July 20080 Andrew Murray12 July 2008 – (Vacated)1 Gary Cully1 February 2020 – (Current)0

Light-welterweight

NameDuration of reignDefences PJ Davitt14 December 1982 – (Vacated)0 Gary Muir3 December 1985 – (Vacated)0 Malcolm Melvin16 March 1993 – (Vacated)0 Eamonn Magee22 May 1999 – (Vacated)0 Robert Murray24 May 2005 – (Vacated)0 Oisin Fagan3 June 2006 – (Vacated)0 Andrew Murray8 December 2007 – (Vacated)0 Frankie Gavin18 September 2010 – (Vacated)0

Welterweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Tony Sinnott24 September 1989 – (Vacated)0 Billy Walsh26 January 2008 – 7 February 20090 Stephen Haughian7 February 2009 – (Vacated)0 Peter McDonagh6 November 2015 – present0

Super-welterweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Terry Magee23 June 1987 – (Vacated)0 Jim Webb3 December 1998 – (Vacated)0 Jim Rock15 April 2000 – (Vacated)0 Ciaran Healy8 December 2007 – 5 July 20080 Jamie Moore5 July 2008 – (Vacated)0 Neil Sinclair15 May 2009 – (Vacated)0 Lee Murtagh21 July 2012 – (Vacated)1 Peter McDonagh15 March 2014 – (Vacated)1 Dee Walsh22 November 2014 – (Vacated)0 Paul Upton23 April 2016 – present0

Middleweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Johnny Curran27 September 1888 – (Vacated)0 Myler Keogh21 December 1896 – (Vacated)1 Jem Roche25 September 1900 – (Vacated)0 Dan Grant22 October 1908 – (Vacated)0 Tommy Connolly30 July 1927 – (Vacated)0 Paddy Roche19 December 1939 – (Vacated)0 Pat O'Connor4 February 1944 – (Vacated)0 Bert Hyland23 June 1949 – (Vacated)0 Cliff Garvey22 July 1955 – (Vacated)0 Peter Sharpe21 February 1967 – (Vacated)0 Sam Storey25 April 1987 – 18 March 19880 Steve Collins18 March 1988 – (Vacated)0 Darren Sweeney15 April 1997 – (Vacated)0 Matthew Macklin14 May 2005 – (Vacated)0 Jim Rock3 June 2006 – (Vacated)0 Gary O'Sullivan4 December 2009 – (Vacated)1 Eamonn O'Kane12 July 2013 – (Vacated)0

Super-middleweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Ray Close31 October 1989 – (Vacated)1 Jim Rock17 April 1999 – (Vacated)1 Andy Lee15 December 2007 – (Vacated)0 Anthony Fitzgerald13 February 2010 – (Vacated)3 JJ McDonagh25 February 2012 – present1

Light-heavyweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Harry Cowap22 April 1985 – (Vacated)1 Jason McKay11 November 2006 – (Vacated)0 Jim Rock12 July 2008 – (Vacated)0 John Waldron15 May 2010 – 20 November 20100 Ciaran Healy20 November 2010 – (Vacated)0 Paddy McDonagh21 January 2012 – present0

Cruiserweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Darren Corbett5 November 1996 – (Vacated)2 Ian Tims19 March 2011 – (Vacated)0

Heavyweight

NameDuration of reignDefences Gordon Ferris22 September 1980 – (Vacated)0 Kevin McBride2 June 1997 – (Vacated)0 Coleman Barrett13 February 2010 – (Vacated)0 Tyson Fury14 April 2012 – (Vacated)0

References

External links