“Amateur Boxing Rotten to the Core”: ‘Heartbroken’ Irish Boxer Wins Fans Support as He Suffers Big Over Countries’ Political Stance

Amateur boxer Kian Hedderman is heartbroken. The Limerick resident, with an amateur record of 12 wins against 3 losses, suffered a major reversal. His fault; the first match was slated against a Russian boxer. Hedderman was part of a 15-strong Irish team participating in the 2023 EUBC European U22 Championships Preliminaries taking place in Budva, Montenegro. Commencing on November 10, the tournament will last until November 20.

On his Instagram account, the 20-year-old boxer poured his heart out. He said, “I’m absolutely heartbroken tough to say my European dream has ended before it started.” He further added, “Due to the Irish Institute of Sport & the Irish government have withdrawn any Irish boxer to compete against the Russian Federation if drawn, and unfortunately, out of 15 team Ireland boxers, I was the first and only boxer to of drawn Russia out of the whole of Europe.”

Kian Hedderman will come back!

Thanking all his well-wishers, friends, and sponsors, Hedderman promised that he would rise up from the setback. At a loss for words, he felt that his boxing career was in shambles. He shared that he has no idea where it goes from here. Soon after he posted, a stream of followers gathered to cheer up the young boxer.

The following user, trying to motivate the young boxer, emphasized that amateur boxing could be corrupt to the core. Hence, he shouldn’t allow it to bring him down: “Keep your head up, mate; amateur boxing [is] rotten to the core. Don’t let it get you down..” The next user said that it’s just a brief setback. In the end, perseverance pays off. Kian Hedderman should be proud of what he accomplished and move on to the next battle: “Temporary setbacks [and] hard work pays off, kid. On to the next one; keep the head up, champ.”

Calling it terrible, the next fan also told Hedderman to remain confident. In their opinion, he is one of the best boxers in the country, and his time will definitely come: “Ah, that’s rough, Kian. Keep your head up; you’re one of the most talented boxers in the country; your time will come.” Continuing the motivational narrative, the following user told the young Irish boxer to keep fighting. He’s got true grit and will emerge stronger than ever from this adversity: “Stay well, Kian; you are a trooper, and [you] will rise again like [a] phoenix from the flames.”

Finally, a gentle soul, this fan empathized with how tough it must have been for Kian Hedderman. However, he needs to keep at it. There are many opportunities out there, and his time will come. What happened was just a temporary obstacle: “Working day in [and] day out for this, I feel for you, son, but your time will come soon, plenty more to compete for only a bump in the road.”

Earlier, Kian Hedderman had shared how a fantastic training camp left him in the best of shape. He had sacrificed a lot to be the best in Ireland. Hence, he expected nothing short of a medal at the European tournament.

Tough choices for a young boxer

As shared by Irish Boxing.com, per the Irish Athletic Boxing Association’s (IABA) directive, “All those selected to represent their country at the tournament, that they will have to withdraw if they draw boxers from Russia or Belarus.” Additionally, the portal pointed out that the boxers have, rumoredly, agreed upon the regulation contractually. In Kian Hedderman’s case, he was the only boxer from the Irish team who ended up facing a Russian opponent. The latter won as a result of the walkover.

For the boxer, the frustration could have been exacerbated by the fact that he decided to skip out on a maiden national Elite Championship in favor of the European U22. But the opportunity to represent Ireland at a major tournament was too good to pass up. More so, given the significance of a European-level medal, it would have gone a long way in securing the necessary financial backing.

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Do you recall any other instance when an international-level situation affected the prospects of athletes or a sport? Please share the details with us in the comments below.

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