Meath Footballers take to the boxing ring for "Battle of the Royals"

Meath footballers plan to ring in the New Year with a bang when they swap the football field for the boxing ring on a gala fundraising Fight Night in "The Battle of the Royals" at the Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort in Trim on Sunday, January 2nd. This event is being organised by The Friends of Meath.

The Battle of the Royals is a novel boxing spectacle which will see a host of club and county players battle it out in the ring as opposed to on the pitch in a novel and entertaining event. Many of the current Meath senior football panel will lace up the gloves on the 12 fight card which will see All Star winner Stephen Bray and All Star nominee's such as Joe Sheridan, Graham Reilly and Seamus Kenny trading punches with their team and club mates.

Speaking at yesterday's launch Seamus McEnaney, County Manager said "I think everyone will be interested to see these guys applying their athletic attributes in the boxing ring. Stepping into a boxing ring with little or no boxing experience is a huge mental and physical challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing how the lads cope with that. It's great to see both club and county players coming together to support an event like this."

"I'm sure some of the Meath legends of the past would have been licking their lips at the opportunity to get in the ring in their heyday and the current panel will have to give and take their lumps on the night to live up to the reputation of some of those guys."

However he said this event could not take place without the intervention of local businesses who were willing to sponsor the event. 'Banty' thanked the main sponsor on the night, The Comer Group, the bout sponsors and the individual boxer sponsors who have generously agreed to be associated with The Battle of the Royals. In conclusion he thanked all the 'would be' boxers who had agreed to participate, the clubs for their backing, the Friends of Meath, and the County Board Officers who were in attendance at the launch.

Unbeaten boxer and European No. 3 Andy Murray was also on hand at the launch to give some advice to the aspiring boxers. The Cavan man has the longest currently unbeaten streak in Irish boxing having stretched his unbeaten record to 23 and 0 earlier this month with a win over World No. 14, Claudinei Lacerda. "It will be a big challenge for them but I'm sure they will enjoy it," said Murray. "It will certainly be very different from but it's always the people that do the simple things right that do well in white collar boxing. If they can keep their chin down and get the straight punches going like the jab and the right hand they will be ok. The problem is that when people get in the ring for the first time they can get caught up by the crowd and their own nervous energy. Everything goes out the window then and they start swinging so it's normally the cool heads that prevail."

Jimmy Magee was also present at the launch and the legendary commentator says he's intrigued to see how Meath's footballer's make the transition to the boxing ring. "This type of boxing, white collar boxing, has really gained momentum in recent years," said 'The Memory Man'. "That's down to just how strong boxing is in Ireland now at all levels, be it amateur or professional, men or women and white collar boxing is a great opportunity for people with little or no boxing experience to get in the ring and have a go while experiencing the physical and mental roller coaster that boxers go through. When things are going badly for you a boxing ring is the loneliest place in the world but it's also been the stage for some of the greatest performers and performances in sport and it will be very interesting to see how the footballers react to the new environment.

"The Meath panel are all good, strong lads and I'm sure a lot of them will fancy their chances in the ring but as their new manager said they are following in the footsteps or some of the toughest, strongest men to ever pull on a county jersey so this will give them a chance to prove that they have the physical and mental toughness required."

Tickets for "The Battle of the Royals" priced at €30 are available from clubs, the Meath County Board and the Friends of Meath. Doors open at the Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort from 6pm on Sunday, January 2nd.

Tickets for "The Battle of the Royals" priced at €30 are available from clubs, the Meath County Board, the Knightsbrook Hotel and the Friends of Meath. Doors open at the Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort from 5pm on Sunday, January 2nd. First bout @ 6pm sharp. Tweet

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