# 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: |
| Flyweight | Vacant | — |
| Super-flyweight | Vacant | — |
| Bantamweight | Vacant | — |
| Super-bantamweight | Ruadhan Farrell | 1 November 2024 |
| Featherweight | Vacant | |
| Super-featherweight | Colm Murphy | July 1 2023 |
| Lightweight | Gary Cully | 1 February 2020 |
| Light-welterweight | Vacant | — |
| Welterweight | Senan Kelly | 4 October 2024 |
| Light-middleweight | Craig O'Brien | 3 March 2018 |
| Middleweight | Vacant | — |
| Super-middleweight | Vacant | — |
| Light-heavyweight | Vacant | — |
| Cruiserweight | Vacant | — |
| Heavyweight | Vacant | — |

## Former champions
### Bantamweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Hugh Russell | 5 October 1982 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Tommy Waite | 20 December 1997 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Colin Moffett | 15 December 2007 – (Vacated) | 0 |

### Super-bantamweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Paul Hyland | 5 July 2008 – (Vacated) | 1 |

### Featherweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Jon Jo Irwin | 16 March 1993 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Patrick Hyland | 19 April 2008 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Marco McCullough | 19 October 2013 – (Vacated) | 0 |

### Super-featherweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Pat Doherty | 26 March 1988 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Kevin O'Hara | 19 April 2008 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Mickey Coveney | 12 August 2011 – 3 November 2012 | 0 |
| Anthony Cacace | 3 November 2012 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| James Tennyson | 27 April 2013 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| James Tennyson | 10 March 2017 – present | 0 |

### Lightweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Peter McDonagh | 28 January 2006 – 12 July 2008 | 0 |
| Andrew Murray | 12 July 2008 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Gary Cully | 1 February 2020 – (Current) | 0 |

### Light-welterweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| PJ Davitt | 14 December 1982 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Gary Muir | 3 December 1985 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Malcolm Melvin | 16 March 1993 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Eamonn Magee | 22 May 1999 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Robert Murray | 24 May 2005 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Oisin Fagan | 3 June 2006 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Andrew Murray | 8 December 2007 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Frankie Gavin | 18 September 2010 – (Vacated) | 0 |

### Welterweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Tony Sinnott | 24 September 1989 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Billy Walsh | 26 January 2008 – 7 February 2009 | 0 |
| Stephen Haughian | 7 February 2009 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Peter McDonagh | 6 November 2015 – present | 0 |

### Super-welterweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Terry Magee | 23 June 1987 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Jim Webb | 3 December 1998 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Jim Rock | 15 April 2000 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Ciaran Healy | 8 December 2007 – 5 July 2008 | 0 |
| Jamie Moore | 5 July 2008 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Neil Sinclair | 15 May 2009 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Lee Murtagh | 21 July 2012 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Peter McDonagh | 15 March 2014 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Dee Walsh | 22 November 2014 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Paul Upton | 23 April 2016 – present | 0 |

### Middleweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Johnny Curran | 27 September 1888 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Myler Keogh | 21 December 1896 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Jem Roche | 25 September 1900 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Dan Grant | 22 October 1908 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Tommy Connolly | 30 July 1927 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Paddy Roche | 19 December 1939 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Pat O'Connor | 4 February 1944 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Bert Hyland | 23 June 1949 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Cliff Garvey | 22 July 1955 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Peter Sharpe | 21 February 1967 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Sam Storey | 25 April 1987 – 18 March 1988 | 0 |
| Steve Collins | 18 March 1988 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Darren Sweeney | 15 April 1997 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Matthew Macklin | 14 May 2005 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Jim Rock | 3 June 2006 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Gary O'Sullivan | 4 December 2009 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Eamonn O'Kane | 12 July 2013 – (Vacated) | 0 |

### Super-middleweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Ray Close | 31 October 1989 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Jim Rock | 17 April 1999 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Andy Lee | 15 December 2007 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Anthony Fitzgerald | 13 February 2010 – (Vacated) | 3 |
| JJ McDonagh | 25 February 2012 – present | 1 |

### Light-heavyweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Harry Cowap | 22 April 1985 – (Vacated) | 1 |
| Jason McKay | 11 November 2006 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Jim Rock | 12 July 2008 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| John Waldron | 15 May 2010 – 20 November 2010 | 0 |
| Ciaran Healy | 20 November 2010 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Paddy McDonagh | 21 January 2012 – present | 0 |

### Cruiserweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Darren Corbett | 5 November 1996 – (Vacated) | 2 |
| Ian Tims | 19 March 2011 – (Vacated) | 0 |

### Heavyweight

| Name | Duration of reign | Defences |
| Gordon Ferris | 22 September 1980 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Kevin McBride | 2 June 1997 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Coleman Barrett | 13 February 2010 – (Vacated) | 0 |
| Tyson Fury | 14 April 2012 – (Vacated) | 0 |