22/06/2026
What a fantastic weekend for Larne Golden Gloves at the Wild Atlantic Box Cup, with five boxers representing the club with pride, determination and excellent sportsmanship throughout👏🏻
Saturday saw Jak McLaughlin in semi-final action against a more experienced opponent. The contest became a scrappy affair with his opponent looking to hold, wrestle and spoil after nearly every exchange. Despite Jak’s best efforts and determination throughout, he unfortunately dropped a points decision. The result meant we would have four boxers competing for gold on Sunday🤞
🥈 Brian Magill was first up in the Under-19 65kg final against the same opponent who had defeated Jak the previous day. Aware of the tactics on display, Brian adapted well and looked to punch as his opponent attempted to hold, disrupting much of the spoiling work. In another close contest, Brian was unfortunate to lose out on a split decision, but the experience gained will stand him in good stead moving forward📈
🥇 Reece Mckeown stepped into the ring in the Under-19 60kg final against a multiple-time Irish champion. Reece produced a superb boxing display, using his movement, sharp footwork and fast combinations to outbox his opponent for long periods. Consistently beating his opponent to the punch proved decisive as Reece earned a well-deserved split decision victory👏🏻
🥇 Next up was Jay Mackness in the Senior Novice 70kg final. Facing a tough and strong opponent, Jay boxed with great maturity, using his reach advantage and straight shots to control the contest from range. He also produced several eye-catching combinations on the inside, earning a unanimous decision victory and his first box cup title🙌🏻
🥇 Rounding off the weekend was Josh Rea, who faced a much more experienced opponent in his final. Josh boxed brilliantly from the outside, making full use of his reach and skills to control much of the contest. His opponent came on strong in the third round as fatigue began to set in, but Josh showed tremendous heart and composure to weather the storm and secure a unanimous decision win🥊
To come away with three gold medals and one silver medal from a highly competitive tournament is a tremendous achievement for our club🙌🏻
Most importantly, every one of our boxers conducted themselves impeccably throughout the weekend. Their behaviour, attitude and respect both inside and outside the ring were first class. They are a credit to themselves, their families and Larne Golden Gloves.
A huge thank you to the organisers, officials and volunteers of the Wild Atlantic Box Cup.
We are incredibly proud of every boxer who represented us this weekend👏🏻
❌No training tonight. We return on Wednesday, with our Awards Night taking place on Friday🏆🏆
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