Longford Boxer John Stokes strikes Gold in the Monkstown Cup

Longford boxer John Stokes has recorded a notable win in the Monkstown Cup International in Dublin which took place last weekend (20th of June to 23rd of June). 

This is another major achievement for this young local warrior who is only 11 years old. 

John fought well throughout the tournament and put on a stunning display of his boxing skills in the final bout to earn himself the Gold medal and the title of Monkstown International Champion 2024 in his division. 

The Monkstown International Box Cup is a major tournament held annually in Ireland in which young fighters from all over Europe get to compete for the honour of being crowned the Monkstown International Boxing Champion. 

Just last year John was forced to take a six month break from the sport after sustaining a broken arm. He decided to take up competitive boxing training in late December 2023 and signed up to the highly ranked Olympic Galway Boxing Club .

Under the watchful eye of John Mongan and his team at Olympic Boxing Club Galway and with a lot of helpful mentoring from the cagey Mullingar based coaches Tony Conroy and John Nevin of Elite Boxing Club, the boxing skills of John Stokes are continuing to improve in leaps and bounds. 

In just 6 months of competitive training John has been crowned Galway County Champion, Connacht Champion, Monkstown International Box Cup Champion and has won silver at the All-Ireland National Championships. 

His latest victory at the Monkstown International Box Cup takes John’s haul of medals from this season to 3 Golds and 1 Silver from just 4 competitions.

And John's achievements have not gone unnoticed! The esteemed IABA Registrar and veteran referee Philip Rooney has said that he believes big things await this young man in the boxing world and he will be keeping a close eye on his career in the coming months and years.

Boxing is a tough sport that teaches discipline and the value of hard work. John made the decision to take on the huge commitment of becoming a competitive boxer and has been reaping the rewards. But the rewards are hard earned and boxers have to adhere to strict training regimes and diets. This sport is both mentally and physically challenging and is not for the faint of heart. 

John said “I will be taking a few well deserved weeks off from training and then it’s back to the gym for me, because in this game you can’t afford to take your eye off the ball for too long. 

“It’s not all fun and games in boxing and I know that there will be good days and bad days in my future as I continue to grow from my experiences. I have a lot more to learn about the sport and I look forward to facing whatever challenges come my way".