Blaney the star attraction at Navan boxing tournament

Christopher Blaney returns to familiar territory on Saturday night when he takes part in Navan Boxing Club's annual tournament at Claremont Stadium. The evening's action is scheduled to start at 7.30 and the organisers are hoping to stage 18 bouts involving boxers from a variety of clubs in Meath and elsewhere. Clubs from Dundalk, Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, Mulhuddart, Kilmainhamwood and Kingscourt are expected to have representatives involved in the tournament which will be compered by Harry McCarrick from Ulster. Navan Boxing Club continues to steadily grow with Blaney's achievements in tournaments both at home and abroad in recent years helping to put the club on the map. Blaney went close to securing a place in the Youth Olympics in Singapore in August when he lost out in the quarter-finals of the AIBA World Youth Championships at Baku in April. He only lost out to a Brazilian David Laurencio who went on to win the gold medal. "The club is going brilliantly at the moment, we never dreamt that it would grow as much as it has when we started out in 1999," said club official Declan Sheridan. He added that a number of young male boxers are currently emerging through the ranks while next year two girls - Shauna Blaney and Shannon Fox - will be eligible to take part in competitive action.