Contrast in fortunes for London Olympians in exciting National Finals

Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan both won, but Adam Nolan, the defending welterweight champion, and Darren O’Neill dropped split decisions to Stephen Donnelly and Michael O’Reilly.

“Things went the way I wanted them to go. I’m only 20, only starting – when I get to me prime, then you’ll see something,” said O’Reilly after his win over O’Neill.

Barnes beat Hughie Myers, the defending champion, to nail his 7th light-flyweight crown, and Conlan secured his four successive belt at two-different weights at the expense of Tyrone McCullagh in the bantamweight class.

Joe Ward made it four in-a-row in the light-heavy class. The Moate BC southpaw beat his fellow leftie Matthew Tinker, the durable St Francis BC fighter taking a standing count in the second.

David Oliver Joyce joined the high-five club after dethroning defending champion Sean McComb in a fiery lightweight final. Tonight’s win was Joyce’s fifth Elite final victory since 2005.

Chris Phelan, Ryston BC and Defence Forces, won his first Elite belt at the fourth time of asking after earning a unanimous decision over Adam Courtney at flyweight.

Dean Walsh, who has his dad, Donal, his uncle, Irish head coach Billy Walsh, and Nicky Kane, working his corner tonight, beat Michael Nevin to claim the vacant light-welter title.

At the end of pulsating three rounds, Walsh, who beat Nevin in the 2013 U/22 final, was handed a unanimous decision.

Tonight, both boxers are the new National Elite middleweight and heavyweight champions – and both won on split decisions for the Portlaoise BC and Olympic BC.

Meantime, on an evening of mixed emotions for Tipperary boxing, Con Sheehan, who has never been beaten at the Irish Elite Championships, beat his Clonmel BC team-mate Dean Gardener on a unanimous decision to secure his 6th Irish Elite title in the final bout of the night.

Liam Walsh, father of Irish head coach Billy Walsh and one of the great stalwarts of Irish boxing, received a sustained standing ovation form a packed National Stadium when he stepped into the ring to  accept a presentation for his services to the sport from IABA President Tommy Murphy tonight.