Northern Ireland's boxing squad have arrived in Manchester on the back of the best possible preparation for the Commonwealth Games. The ten-strong team have just returned from Cuba where they spent a month sparring with some of the best amateur boxers in the world. The Cubans have dominated the sport for years and Irish coach Paul McMahon believes the experience gleaned by his fighters will stand them in good stead for the tournament ahead.
Flyweight Liam Cunningham and bantamweight Martin Lindsay are favourites to follow in the footsteps of Barry McGuigan, who used Commonwealth gold as a stepping-stone to professional greatness. McMahon revealed: "Everybody is in good shape. We are here with 10 boxers and we would like to think everybody has a chance to win a medal. The lads are under big pressure and have high expectations of themselves. They have been outstanding in their training and we have no discipline problems. We have a good reputation for boxing and there's pressure on us to live up to it. Anybody from Northern Ireland who has been lucky enough to win medals at the Commonwealth Games has gone on to be successful at the Olympics."
Filed by Shane Murray
