The Irish Athletic Boxing Association is delighted to affirm the appointment of Damian Kennedy as Interim High Performance Head Coach, following the retirement from Irish Boxing of Zauri Antia.
Hailing from Toome on the shores of Lough Neagh in County Antrim, Damian has 3 decades of coaching experience at all levels of the IABA. Damian was TeamNI Boxing Head Coach for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, when the team topped the medals table with a record number of podium finishes. An Olympic coach, he has also held event-specific leadership roles at National level, including as Head Coach of the Team Ireland at the 2nd Olympic Qualifier in Bangkok, when four boxers booked their seats on the plane to Paris in addition to coaching at the Games.
Damian has been honoured for his coaching and leadership abilities by Sport NI in its 2023 Sportmaker Awards, and was named a “Game Changer” by the UK National Lottery Good Causes in 2024 as having made a pivotal contribution to boxing and to his community.
Interim High Performance Head Coach Damian Kennedy said “It’s an honour to lead the National programme on an interim basis, to build on the legacy of boxing technical excellence learned from and with Zauri. He and I worked hand-in-glove to prepare boxers for the highest levels of competition across many years, ably assisted by High Performance coaches in Dublin and in Ulster. There’s an exciting and challenging competition period just around the corner, and I look forward to further supporting IABA boxers in achieving their goals.”
High Performance Director, Jon Mackey, said “Damian has already brought a wealth of boxing technical skills to High Performance over the last 4 years, and has a proven track record of achievement in terms of his contribution to podium finishes, athlete development and talent ID. His athlete-first instincts, coupled with his innate mentorship skills and strategic planning abilities mean he is ideally placed to lead on boxer development and support during the early stages of our first full year of World Boxing competition”
Chief Executive Gary Stewart said “Continuity of excellence is vital in a High Performance setting, and for the future of Irish Boxing. Damian is highly regarded at home and internationally, with excellent working relationships in both settings. We’re delighted that he has accepted this interim position”
As stated at the occasion of Zauri’s retirement from Irish Boxing, IABA intends to begin recruitment for the High Performance Head Coach in the New Year.
ENDS.