Six Irish boxers won two Irish Elite Championships  titles in the same year at the National Stadium.

Paul Hyland, Andrew Murray, Paul McCloskey, Andy Lee, Kenneth Egan (pictured above) and Alan Reynolds have the unique distinction of winning two Irish Elite titles in the same year.

All six claimed Elite belts at Dublin’s National Stadium in February 2003.

And they were in the National Stadium again less than a year later to do the double at the “2004 National Championships”, which were actually held in December 2003 at the home of Irish boxing.

The decision to run the 2004 Championships in 2003 was taken to help facilitate Ireland’s preparations for the Olympic qualifiers for the 2004 Games in Athens.

Andy Lee (red) in action at the 2004 Olympics

As it turned out, Lee, then boxing out of the St Francis BC in Limerick, was the only Irish boxer to qualify – although McCloskey, Egan and Murray came very close, particularly McCloskey – for the Athens Olympiad.

The Limerick southpaw had to do it the difficult way, however, winning bronze en route to booking his ticket for Athens at the 2004 European Senior Championships in Croatia.

Hyland, Murray, McCloskey and Lee have since turned professional.

Egan went on to claim ten Irish Elite titles on-the-trot.

The Neilstown southpaw and 2008 Olympics silver medalist will be aiming for his 11th title at the 2013 Elite Championships in the light-heavyweight class.

2003 Elite Championships Finals National Stadium Dublin

2004 Elite Championships Finals National Stadium Dublin (December 19th, 2003)