Some of Cork's best ever boxers have won the prestigious Paddy The Champ Martin Cup

Following a season of phenomenal success the Taoiseach Micheál Martin next month will present the much coveted Paddy ‘The Champ’ Martin Cup to the Cork boxer of the year.

Ten years ago, this cup was inaugurated, following an invitation from the Cork Ex-Boxers Association to the Martin family to perpetuate the name of the famed Cork and Glen international boxer Paddy Martin. 

Tim O’Sullivan, the then president of the Ex-Boxers Association put the idea to Micheál Martin in a late night phone call a decade ago. 

Micheál was delighted to facilitate the request and so began another illustrious chapter in the history of Cork boxing.

The criteria for the presentation of this cup was then agreed. 

The emphasis was placed on the word champ. 

The contenders for this cup each year would come from boxers who won an All-Ireland title representing Cork and their club the previous year. Hence, the Martin Cup became known as the ‘Champ of Champions Cup’.

The introduction of this cup raised the bar for all boxers on Leeside. 

Those who have won this cup to date have and continue to enjoy very successful careers in the sport of boxing. 

The first recipient of the cup was the very popular Cill Na Matra native, representing the Macroom Boxing Club, Christina Desmond. 

Christina’s achievements in the ring are legendary and these include a host of national titles at underage level.

She competed as a junior Olympian in Nanjing China in 2013. 

She is a world junior silver medallist, six elite All-Ireland titles and a European championship elite silver medal. 

Christina has also featured in a number of television sport documentaries. 

She is the only boxer to win the Paddy Martin Cup on two occasions. 

Christina was presented with the cup for a second time on the 12th December 2020.

These were Covid times and only 12 people were allowed to attend the event. 

The presentation took place in the Glen Boxing Club where the then Taoiseach Micheál Martin did the honours, a huge volume of boxing followers who would have liked to be there were disappointed, as the Cork County Boxing Board rigidly adhered to the Government issued restricted numbers. 

On the day, the Taoiseach famously autographed the canvas on the ring of Ireland’s oldest boxing club, and one, which his father Paddy had represented with distinction.

During the years which followed the first presentation, the Cup was won by Tommy McCarthy, who was the winner of several All-Ireland underage championships and who, closed a gap of nearly 20 years becoming the first winner of a men’s elite national title from Cork since Dr Eanna Falvey won a title in 2002. 

The cup following McCarthy success was won next by Stephen Cairns then with the Loughmahon BC, who had won many national titles, and a silver medal at the European Junior Championships. 

Today, Steve is a first class professional boxer and a potential future world champion.

A year later, the winner of the Cup was the very popular Togher boxer Leanne Murphy. 

Like all the winners of the ‘Champ’s Cup’ Leanne also represented her country as an international. 

She has won many county, provincial and All-Ireland titles, and progressed to win a national senior title. 

She is currently on sabbatical, but all Cork boxing followers want her back to lift an elite title.

A man making waves on the professional circuit these days is Cathal Crowley. 

He succeeded Leanne Murphy and has a great legacy of amateur success as the holder of multiple All-Ireland titles. 

He is a product of the Spartan Club where former Lord Mayor and the Taoiseach’s brother Sean Martin is the club’s president. 

Much of Cathal’s success has to be attributed to Paddy McSweeney a great tactician and shrewd boxing coach.

In 2022, the cup was presented to Katie O’Keeffe, the Kanturk dynamo and pocket rocket from the Barony of Duhallow. 

Katie has record number of European junior championships medals, and won an All-Ireland title in every underage category including cadet and junior titles. 

Last year she entered the adult boxing arena, and returned from the National Stadium once again, this time as a senior champion. 

She is coached by the wily Scotsman Jim McConville. 

Katie has left her card in the ring in Dublin and wishes to return to win the elite title in the new season.

The next holder of the prestigious cup was Aaron O’Donoghue representing the Golden Gloves Club. 

Aaron was presented with the cup in 2023. 

He was then a member of the Defence Forces that year, Mr. Martin was Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. 

of the military from Collins Barracks were the at the presentation. 

Aaron is a very strong boxer and holder of a galaxy of titles. 

In adult boxing, he won in quick succession a senior and an elite title. 

He was coached by the Cork coach of the year, the enormously successful John Morrissey. 

Recently, Aaron turned professional.

Last year on a day, which marked the opening of the Tomas MacCurtain Boxing Museum at the Glen Boxing Club, Linda Desmond from the Rylane Boxing Club was presented with the ‘Champ’s Cup’ by the Taoiseach. 

Linda won an avalanche number of underage titles. 

She has represented Ireland at the international level. 

She then went on to win a senior national title and two elite titles. 

She subsequently won The Echo Women in Sport Supreme Athlete of the Year Award. 

She is coached by Seanie Barrett and Dan Lane.

Over the last ten years, the introduction of the ‘Paddy Martin Cup’ has made a significant impact on Cork’s boxing athletes and great credit must go to the Cork Ex-Boxers Association with the Martin family.