Another Big weekend for St Francis BC
The St Francis BC in Limerick will be aiming to advance two boxers to within one win each of matching current WBO World middleweight champion Andy Lee at the National Stadium in Dublin this weekend.
Myles Casey and Matthew Tinker are both in action versus Belfast’s TJ Waite and Padraig McCrory on Friday and Saturday in the flyweight and light-heavyweight classes.
Lee, Ireland’s only boxer at the 2004 Olympics, was the last St Francis BC man to win an Elite title in March 2005 after he beat Eamonn O’Kane in the middleweight final. Four-time middleweight champion Darren O’Neill, who will make his Elite debut at heavyweight against John Joe McDonagh on Saturday, was beaten on the same day in the 2005 light-heavyweight decider by Kenneth Egan.
Lee turned pro with the Detroit Kronk after winning his third Elite gold ten years ago. Last month the Treaty City southpaw claimed the WBO crown in Las Vegas after a sixth round TKO of Russia’s Matt Korobov, who beat Olympic bronze medallist Darren Sutherland, the 2006 Irish Elite middleweight champion, in the quarter-finals en route to gold at the 2005 AIBA World Elite Championships in China.
Casey, a brother of ex European pro champion Willie “Big Bang”, meets the experienced Waite with his confidence boosted after winning a National Intermediate belt last month.
Tinker reached the Elite light-heavyweight final in 2014 and gave a fine account of himself before losing to Joe Ward, the only boxer in the history of the sport worldwide to win three AIBA medals – World Junior (gold), World Youth (gold) and World Elite (bronze) – as a teenager.
Ward has relinquished the light-heavyweight belt because he has signed for AIBA Pro Boxing (APB), along with David Oliver Joyce.
Both the flyweight and light-heavyweight titles are vacant this year. Adam Courtney and Evan Metcalfe meet in an all Dublin derby in the corresponding flyweight semi-final on Friday and multiple Elite champion and ex EU gold medallist Roy Sheahan and Chris Blaney clash in the corresponding light-heavyweight semi-final on Saturday.
Boxing begins at 7pm on Friday night. The semi-finals up to welterweight will be decided ahead of Saturday’s final batch of last-four duels at the home of Irish boxing.
2015 National Elite Championships National Stadium Dublin
Friday January 16th (7pm)
51kg Kristina O’Hara (Emerald) V Elaine Harrison (Ballina)
52kg TJ Waite (Cairn Lodge) V Myles Casey (St Francis)
52kg Adam Courtney (St Marys Dub) V Evan Metcalfe (Crumlin)
56kg Jamie Higgins (St Brigids Kildare) V Kurt Walker (Canal)
56kg Sean Higginson (St John Bosco) V Anthyony O’Rawe (Braid)
57kg Joanne Lambe (Carrickmackross) V Moira McElligot (Rathkeale)
57kg Dervla Duffy (St Brigids/Defence) V Carly McNaul (Holy Trinity)
60kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity) V Gerard Matthews (St Pauls Antrim)
60kg George Bates (St Marys Dub) V Gary Cully (St Davids Naas)
64kg Dean Walsh (St Ibars) V Patrick Mongan (Olympic)
64kg Ray Moylette (St Annes) V Ross Hickey (Grangecon/Defence F)
69kg John Joe Joyce (St Michaels Athy) V Wayne Kelly (Mullingar Elite)
69kg Bernard Roe (Dublin Docklands) V Adam Nolan (Bray)
Saturday January 17th (7pm)
64kg Sarah Close (Holy Family GG) V Kayleigh Murrihy (Kilfenora)
64kg Grainne Walsh (Sparticus) V Kelly Harrington (St Margarets)
69kg Christina Desmond (Macroom) V Tina Donelly (Baldoyle)
69kg Jillian Duffy (St Fergals Bray) V Clare Grace (Callan)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise) V Conor Coyle (St Joseps Derry)
75kg Caoimhin Hynes (Holy Trinity) V Stephen Broadhurst (Dealgan)
81kg Roy Sheahan (St Michaels Athy) V Chris Blaney (Navan)
81kg Padraig McCrory (Holy Trinty) V Matthew Tinker (St Francis)
91kg Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) V John Joe McDonagh (Crumlin)
91kg Stephen McMonagle (Holy Trinity) V Kenneth Okungbowa (Ahtlone)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel) V Niall Kennedy (Gorey)
91+kg Jason Barron (Holy Trinity) V Constantin Popovicu (Johnstown)
January 9th Q/Finals
57kg Moira McElligot (Rathkeale) beat Cheyanne O’Neill (Athlone) 2-0
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal) beat Gary McKenna (Old School) 3-0
56kg Sean Higginson (St John Bosco) beat Jason Kirwan (Ballagh) 3-0
64kg Patrick Mongan (Olympic) beat Benaldo Marime (Holy Trinity) 2-1
64kg Ray Moylette (St Annes) beat Jason Conroy (Crumlin) 3-0
64kg Ross Hickey (Grancecon/ Def/Force) beat Niall Murray (Gorey) 3-0
69kg John Joe Joyce (St Michaels Athy) beat Fergal Redmond (Arklow) 3-0
69kg Wayne Kelly (Mullingar) beat Lee Sherlock (Corpus Christi) 3-0
69kg Bernard Roe (Dublin Docklands) beat Michael Nevin (Portlaoise) 2-1
69kg Adam Nolan (Bray) beat Craig McCarthy (St Pauls Waterford) TKO1
75kg Conor Coyle (St Josephs Derry) beat Emmet Brennan (Corinthians) 2-1
75kg Caoimhin Hynes (Holy Trinity) beat Glory Lmuala (Maynooth) 3-0
81kg Chris Blaney (Navan) beat Anthony Browne (St Michaels) 2-1
91kg John Joe McDonagh (Crumlin) beat Patrick O’Shea (St Colmans) 3-0
91kg Stephen McMonagle (Holy Trinity) beat Andrew Hanley (Bray) TKOI3 (3-0)
91kg Kenneth Okungbowa (Athlone) beat Bernard O’Reilly (Portlaoise) 3-0
