Islington BC newcomer Amy Broadhurst has 13 Irish titles to her name – but she is aiming to box for England in the near future.

The 19-year-old lightweight, originally from Dundalk, is set to make her Islington debut in the Haringey Box Cup tournament at Alexandra Palace this weekend.

She will be cheered on by her mother and father (Tony, who is a coach at Dealgan Boxing Club in Ireland) and her brother Stephen (a 12-time Irish champion) in the Class A elite Under-60kg section.

And Broadhurst’s long-term aim is to follow in the footsteps of another Irish lightweight, Katie Taylor, by winning an Olympic gold medal – but probably not in the colours of her native country.

“She’s a great boxer who deserves the recognition she gets, but there are a lot of other women coming through now like Kellie Harrington, who won silver at the World Championships a few weeks ago,” Broadhurst told the Gazette.

“Kellie hasn’t got much coverage compared to what Katie Taylor gets, which is unfair – but over here I think there’s more recognition for other girls as well.

“I’m eligible for England because my dad’s English, so I’m going to enter an ABA tournament next season and try to compete for England.

“My dad mentioned it to me before I came over, that the set-up and funding over here is a lot better. But there are others that wouldn’t agree – it’d be a big decision.

“Team GB is a lot harder to get into as well. But I’d love to win a World Championship medal in 2018 and then go to the Olympics in 2020, that’s the main goal.”

Broadhurst grew up in a sporty family, with three elder brothers involved in football and Gaelic football as well as boxing, and began training in her dad’s gym at the age of seven.

Since then she has picked up a stack of Irish titles, initially boxing at 57kg, as well as three European gold medals and a silver, plus a victory at the Queens Cup multi-nation tournament in Germany.

Three months ago, however, the teenager decided to move to London and join the Hazellville Road gym – and she plans to begin her Islington career with a gold medal at the Haringey Box Cup.

“I knew a few of the other Irish girls came over and boxed at Haringey,” Broadhurst added. “The venue looks brilliant and I’m glad to be able to enter it now, it should be good.

“I wasn’t getting many opportunities to box in Ireland, being promised bouts and not getting them, so I thought I’d come over, get a job and train and just have a change.

“Looking around for clubs, I saw Islington was a good one with a lot of good boxers, so I just came along and asked if I could join. I’ve found it brilliant and the people are very helpful.”

Broadhurst is one of three Islington boxers taking part in the three-day tournament, which has attracted a record 500 entries from around Europe.

Amy Andrew competes in the Class C Under-60kg section, while Lamin Conteh is scheduled to box in the Class B Under-69kg (senior) category.

Another Islington boxer, Mateusz Szczepkowski, has pulled out due to injury.