Antonio Bozkaya: ‘I Just Want to Box’ – New U23 Champion Makes His Statement

There is a growing sense that Antonio Bozkaya is a fighter worth keeping a very close eye on.

The 20-year-old Meath native, who boxes out of East Meath Boxing Club at 55kg, has spent the last few years being thrown into the deep end of Irish amateur boxing. Now, after capturing the Irish U23 title last week with a statement victory over highly fancied Patsy Joyce, Bozkaya believes he has earned the right to test himself on the international stage.

Bozkaya’s route to this point has been anything but straightforward. He took up boxing in 2018, shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted his fledgling career. After around a year and a half away from the sport, he returned with a hunger to make up for lost time.

Since then, the teenager-turned-young senior has rarely been afforded an easy night.

“I’ve always just been thrown into the deep end, fighting national champions,” Bozkaya told Irish Boxing Digest. “I think my whole book is just full of national champions.”

That baptism of fire appears to have accelerated his development.

Bozkaya won a Leinster title before announcing himself nationally by claiming the Irish U18 crown in 2024. His run to the title ended with a second-round stoppage in the final, earning him a place at the Youth World Championships later that year.

The World Championships proved a step up in class, but Bozkaya emerged from the experience believing he belonged at that level despite falling short against Cuban opposition.

“I had two fights, two good performances in my opinion and a lot of other people’s opinion, but obviously fell short,” he said.

Rather than being discouraged, the experience reinforced his belief that he could compete with the best.

That belief grew further in 2025.

Stepping into the U23 ranks, Bozkaya reached the final before losing a decision to Louis Rooney. While the result went against him, the performance proved to be a turning point in his own estimation of where he stood in Irish boxing.

“After that fight I’ve been told, it was a brilliant performance. I thought I had it won, whatever. But it was only from there that I realised I’m up with the best,” he explained.

“I was like, I’m capable of doing something here.”

That confidence was tested again at the 2026 Irish Elites, where Bozkaya reached the semi-finals before coming up short against multiple-time Irish champion Sean Mari.

But if there was disappointment, it did little to diminish the bigger picture.

The biggest statement of his young career arrived last week.

Bozkaya returned to the U23 championships and produced a performance that sent shockwaves through the competition, defeating the fancied Patsy Joyce by unanimous decision.

Joyce entered the contest with an imposing amateur pedigree, including a youth World bronze medal and a reputation as the country’s leading fighters at the weight. Crucially, he had never previously been beaten on Irish soil.

Bozkaya changed that.

“It wasn’t just a close fight, it was a unanimous decision,” he said. “It was a clear win.”

For Bozkaya, however, the significance of the victory went beyond beating one of the country’s most highly regarded amateurs.

His coach’s father, Paddy Keogh had passed away shortly before the tournament, and Bozkaya entered the championship with a personal promise to honour him.

“I had the funeral the day before,” Bozkaya said. “Paddy Keogh done a lot for Irish boxing. And I was just at the funeral there and I had it in my own head. I said, I’m going to win it and get him his last Irish title. And get a cert and put it on his grave.”

Winning the U23 crown therefore carried an emotional weight that extended well beyond another medal or title.

“I felt extremely proud after winning,” he said. “Made my coaches proud, myself, my name, family.”

The victory has inevitably raised the question of what comes next.

With major European competition on the horizon, should Bozkaya now be given the opportunity to pull on the Irish vest?

The Meath man certainly thinks so.

“I do believe after beating Patsy Joyce, fifth best in the world, I do think I deserve a chance to put on the Irish vest and represent Ireland at the Europeans,” he said.

“Considering the way that I beat Patsy Joyce… I do think I deserve the chance to represent Ireland at European level and the world stage.”

It is a bold claim, but one backed by a fighter who believes he has spent his entire career proving he belongs in difficult company.

Bozkaya’s attitude to boxing is perhaps best summed up by the way he describes himself outside the ring.

“I’m a quiet person outside unless you know me. So I don’t really talk much, but in boxing is where I talk,” he said.

“I take it quite literal when they say, let your hands do the talking, because my hands do the talking. That’s where I’m loud, is when I’m boxing.”

That mentality could serve him well as he moves into the next phase of his career.

The question of whether that future ultimately lies in the amateur ranks or the professional game remains open. With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics now firmly on the horizon, Bozkaya is not ruling anything out.

But he is also not getting carried away.

“I’m the type of guy to go with the wind,” he said. “If pro shows up, pro shows up. If the Olympics is there, I’ll go for the Olympics.”

The ambition is clear, but so too is the simplicity of his motivation.

“Either way, I just want to box.”

For now, the immediate focus is on what Bozkaya has already achieved.

A national U18 title. A World Youth Championships appearance. A U23 final appearance. A run to the Irish Elite semi-finals. And now, most significantly, an U23 title secured with a unanimous victory over one of the country’s most highly rated young fighters.

At just 20, there is still plenty of road ahead.

But after upsetting the established order at 55kg, Antonio Bozkaya has made sure that Irish boxing will be watching closely where he goes next.