Box in Pink: Fighting for a great cause

Eoin Kenny, a final year physics student at the University of Galway, has found a way to use his boxing skills to pay tribute to his late father. 

His journey in combat sports began just three years ago, when he joined the university’s Muay Thai club. In second year, a friend suggested he come along to the boxing club, which had been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He decided to try it out for fun and to potentially improve his Muay Thai skills.

He thoroughly enjoyed his first session and worked well with the coach, so he found himself returning to the club again and again. Eoin’s hard work paid off, and he was asked to become the club’s captain at the end of his second year. 

“I think that it was the fact that I was consistently there training in second year that made the previous captain reach out to me at the end of the year and ask if I wanted to take over as captain. I was so invested in training, I was really enjoying it, I loved the club and the people that were there. It was something I was happy to do and something I’ve really enjoyed since for the past two years.” 

Boxing for a good cause 

In 2023, the University of Galway’s Cancer Society contacted the boxing club with a proposal. In previous years, they had been organising a boxing event to raise money for breast cancer research but found that the participants needed further training.  

That year, there was insufficient time for the event to be organised in conjunction with the boxing club, but Eoin was determined to make the idea a reality. 

“When they reached out to us, I jumped at the chance because I lost my own dad to cancer, and it was something that I was really interested in and really wanted to help out with.”  

When he returned to university in 2024, beginning his third year and his tenure as boxing club captain, one of his priorities was to get the event running. He organised the training and the boxing aspect of the event, while the event management, promotion and fundraising were largely handled by the Cancer Society. 

Despite the high workload, he threw himself into it. “It took up most of my semester two really. I made sure everything was in compliance with the university and the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA). I was doing a lot of back and forth between the Sports Unit, Socs Box, the IABA, and the Clayton Hotel, making sure all the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed, and that everything was up to standard. It was something I really wanted to do, something I felt was what I wanted to do because it’s so personal and close to me. I was more than happy to fully tackle it head on.” 

With nearly €23,000 raised for the National Breast Cancer Research Institute (NBCRI), and an estimated 400 tickets sold, the event was a resounding success. “It was a great moment for the boxing club, as we were able to show what the club is capable of. We’re back like the phoenix basically,” Eoin jokes. 

“The club was closed over Covid, and now we’re back and we’ve set up this great event. It’s something I hope will be a cornerstone of the club going forward, even after my time as captain is over. The goal is that this will be such a well-run event that it will be easy for the next captain to put it together again, and it will be easy to keep raising more money for such a great cause.” 

A bright future ahead

Box in Pink will return in March 2026, and Eoin is hoping to compete again this year. It was his first time fighting at such an event, as he had only fought in some small exhibitions in the club, “…but this was my first time fighting in front of a crowd. It was great, I loved it.”

For those who cannot attend the upcoming event, he stated that donations directly to the NBCRI would be greatly appreciated, as “they’re the people we’re trying to help at the end of the day.” Early next semester there will be charity profiles for each boxer, where it will be possible to directly donate to them, as well as on the boxing club’s fundraising page. The organisers are hoping to match or beat the amount of funds raised last year.

Box in Pink 2026 will take place in the Clayton Hotel on March 10. Tickets will be available early in the new year. For more information, visit the Boxing Club’s Instagram page, the Cancer Society’s Instagram page, or the NBCRI’s website.