4 November 2006 NI Cross Community Boxing Team visit US

The boxing exhibition culminated a week-long visit to the United States by the team from Northern Ireland.  During their stay in Washington, the boxing team toured the monuments and museums along the National Mall, explored Capitol Hill and met with boxing legend “Smokin’” Joe Frazier.

Although boxing was initial catalyst for this visit, their mission to the U.S. went far beyond the realm of sport.  These boxers were also exposed to the most intractable challenges facing Washington’s inner-city youth.  While meeting with the Alliance of Concerned Men, a community-based organization that provides outreach and intervention for at-risk youth, they listened to powerful stories about crime, gang warfare, and the firm commitment to break the cycle of violence.  These experiences struck a chord with the Northern Irish boxers, many of whom had been raised amid sectarian violence in their own neighborhoods in Belfast.    

This initiative, spearheaded by the Northern Ireland Bureau and Sports Council Northern Ireland, was an effort to continue the momentum toward reconciliation between communities in Northern Ireland, and to forge closer ties between Belfast and Washington, DC.  “The Bureau has been developing relationships with organizations in the United Statesto generate mutual benefits and when I met withKeely Thompson at his boxing club it was very obvious that wehad to have atournament. The boxers from Northern Ireland and DC met before the bouts and after and shared experiencesof their hometowns.The boxers were a credit to the Monkstown and Holy Trinity clubs in Northern Ireland and Keely's District Boxing Club in DC. The sportsmanship and friendship was very obvious and weintend to have the DC boxers visit us in Belfast next year and hope this is the start of an on going boxing and sporting partnership with the United States,” said Tim Losty, Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau.