LIVE UPDATES – 2023 National Elite Championship Finals Night

It’s the most wonderful night of the year.

National Elite Final’s night returns for the first time since 2021.

25 finals will be decided over a marathon session of top-class boxing at the National Stadium

Boxing begins as early as 5 pm and can be viewed HERE.

We are in the house and will provide LIVE updates.

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Brandon McCarthy and Kane Tucker have both pulled out of their respective finals due to a cut and injury. As a result, Dean Clancy and Dmytro Oliynyk are the 63.5kg and 86kg National Elite Champions for 2023.

81kg: Bethany Doocey (Castlebar) beat Dearbhla Tinnelly (Clann Naofa)

Bethany Doocey wasn’t giving up her National Elite title without a fight.

The reigning champion was pitted against World and European youth medal winner Dearbhla Tinnelly in the 81kg decider.

The decorated underage star started fast, showing quality and power in the first round but the Mayo battler bit down on her gum shield, dragged Tinnelly into her fight, and battled her way back.

The Castlebar star won the second and third rounds big to make sure the title stays on her mantle piece.

We are off to a good start!

48kg: Rickey Nesbitt (Holy Family L) beats Padraig Downey (St John Bosco A)

Irish boxing’s number 1 little man had to produce big to retain his Elite National title.

A beaten flyweight finalist in 2021, Padraig Downey was determined to get over the line this time around and gave the Irish International a real fight.

How close the all-action affair was, was summed up by the 3-2 scoreline with Nesbitt getting the nod and continues his reign as a result.

52kg: Nicole Clyde (Antrim) beats Chloe Gabriel (Mulhuddart)

Nicole Clyde claimed her first National Elite Championship title after an entertaining three rounds in fight number three.

Clyde, who was defeated on finals night by Cathlin Fryers in 2021, got the better of fellow starlet and underage champion Chloe Gabriel via a 3-2 split.

The Commonwealth Games representative’s senior International experience stood to her against a fighter she could have a long rivalry with.

92+:Gytis Lisinskas (Celtic Eagles) beat William J McCartan (Gilford)

A lean and mean Gytis Lisinskas made it a hat trick of Irish titles, producing big to win the 2023 big man final.

The super heavyweight with Olympic aspirations was too slick, accurate, and strong for the ever-brave and well-supported Wille Joe McCartan.

The Celtic Eagles man caught the Gilford battler with big shots from the off and a bloodied McCartan was eventually pulled out by the doctor in the second round.

McCartan, whose bravery and story won Stadium hearts over the last few weeks, begged to continue but the right decision was made and the fighter who jumped from Ulster Novice level to the Elite Championships was saved from himself.

63kg: Shauna Browne O’Keefe (Clonmel) beats Winnie Christina McDonagh (Neilstown)

The comeback continues!

Shauna Brown O’Keefe won her first National Elite title since 2015.

The Tipp talent, who boxed for the first time in five years last week, defeated European underage medal winner Winnie O’Keefe via unanimous decision.

It continues the theme of experience overcoming youth, which has proved the case on finals night so far.

The Neilstown support were upset with the decision but the consensus among press row was O’Keefe, the only fighter to fight Katie Taylor in National Elite competition did enough to win a close fight.

75kg: Christopher O’Reilly (Holy Family L) beat Joshua Olaniyan (Jobstown)

Chris O’Reilly is now a fun-to-watch National Elite Champion.

The Holy Family fighter has been a must-watch domestic nearly man in recent years, the 2017 youth champion losing two intermediate finals.

However, after avenging his decider defeat with an entertaining semi-final win over Gavin Rafferty on Friday, he went on to win the final.

O’Reilly defeated emerging prospect Joshua Olaniyan in a close fight, preventing the Jobstown starlet from enjoying Elite success at the first attempt.

Olaniyan did enough to prove he is ready for senior Elite action but O’Reilly now rules as the number 1 75kg fighter in Ireland.

81+kg: Judy Bobbett (Liberty) beats Shauna Kearney (Bunclody)

From rugby to the ring, Judy Bobbett becomes the first-ever Irish rugby international to win a National Elite title.

Bobbett managed to win the highest honour in domestic boxing only 14 months after walking through the doors of a boxing gym.

The Liberty fighter defeated battling Shauna Kearney to claim the crown, handing out a second-round standing eight en route to the title win.

Bobbett now joins Katie Taylor as a fighter to wear the green of Ireland in a field sport and win an Elite crown.

57kg: Paul Loonam (St Carthages) beats Sean Purcell (Saviours Crystal)

Paul Loonam emerges from one of the toughest fields in this year’s National Elite Championships as champion.

The under-22 European medal winner becomes the man to beat at an Olympic weight after defeating Sean Purcell in a high-paced final.

Loonam who overcame former champion Adam Hession in a tense semi defeated Waterford’s Sean Purcell in an entertaining decider, becoming National Elite Champion at the first attempt.

54kg: Niamh Fay (Ballybougall) V Jennifer Lehane (DCU)

It wasn’t pretty but that won’t bother Niamh Fay one bit.

The eagerly anticipated meeting between two-time European underage winner and reigning featherweight champ was tense but not the all-action fight of the night many thought it may be.

Both fighters were docked points in the first round of a tactical clash and each of the rounds were close. Fay, who has grown from underage starlet to established senior operator of the last year, got over the line, winning her first Elite Championship.

Indeed, it’s the first Elite title for The Pheonix club since Tony Davitt lead three fighters to titles in the 1980s. The Irish boxing legend was in the corner and celebrated this one as much as any that went before!

60kg: Davey Joyce (Holy Family L) beats Jason Nevin (Olympic L)

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT!

Davey Joyce produced a brilliant blend of panache and power to win his second National Elite title.

The fighter who was missing for a number of years was soo good he is back bleeping loud on the radar.

And the thing is he had to be that good to claim the win with Jason Neven, who turned 19 this week, playing his part in a sensational fight.

The teen showed his quality and put in a display that suggests he will have many a happy night at the home of Irish boxing in the future.

It’s Joyce’s time now and after such a display the Holy Family fighter looks like a potential European Games medal hope.

Imagine if he had made an Olympic weight?

48kg: Nicole Buckley (St Carthages) beats Ciara Walsh (Smithfield)

Nicole Buckley adds an Elite National title to her eight underage and one senior Irish title.

The St Carthages fighter defeated old nemesis Ciara Walsh for the second time. In keeping with their Winters Box Cup fight and Under-22 clash it was a split decision result, the Offally fighter making it 2-1 in her favour and winning when it mattered most.

The 19-year-old joins her clubmate Paul Loonam in the winner’s circle and like the 57kg winner wins an Elite title at the first attempt.

54kg: Dylan Eagleson (St Pauls A) beats Jorge Rogla Castanno (Corinthians)

Dylan Eagleson played matador to Spanish bull Jorge Rogla Castanno to claim his first ever National Elite Championships title.

The stylish St Pauls fighter, who won European and Commonwealth medals before winning the highest domestic honour on offer, won every round against a game former Spanish Elite finalist.

It’s Olympic Champion Kellie Harrington next.

60kg: Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s D) beat Zara Breslin (Tramore)

Kellie Harrington made a welcome return to the National Stadium to make it a perfect TEN.

One of Ireland’s greatest-ever fighters claimed a record-equalling tenth National Elite in her first fight at the famous venue since 2019.

The 33-year-old beat Zara Breslin of Tramore to join one of the Stadium’s favourite sons Kenneth Egan and Jim O’Sullivan as a ten-time Irish champion.

Harrington was too good for Breslin, 22, who did come into the fight in form and on the back of an impressive semi-final win, and took a unanimous decision win much to the Stadium’s delight.

67kg: Eugene McKeever (Holy Family L) beat Ryan McCarthy (Fr Horgans)

Eugene McKeever retained his 67kg National Elite title to make it a hat trick of final night wins Holy Family Drogheda.

The fighter, who fought at the Worlds, Europeans and Commonweaths over the last 18 months, followed up his Friday win over former champion Wayne Kelly with victory over Ryan McCarthy.

The Father Horgans fighter gave a good account of himself and was competitive enough to win the fight on two of the five judges cards.

However, more favoured the cleaner work of McKeever and he is a two time Elite champion as a result.

50kg: Daina Moorehouse (Enniskerry) beats Caitlin Fryers (Immaculata A)

Daina Moorehouse llimped into the winners circle, quite litterally after victory in an highly competitive final of one of the most competitive weight classes.

Not that the Bray fighter wasn’t a clear winner, she won every round on four of the cards, rather she went over on her ankle in the second round and was unsteady on her feet after.

Indeed, at one point after the fall in stanza two it appeared as if she may have to forfit the fight and thus her Olympic dream.

However, she fought on, won the decider and became champion in a stacked weight class.

Eurropean silver medal winner Fryers was competitive against her fellow European underage medal winner in a fight where both were busy but the judges favoured the more accurate work of Moorehouses.

The victory makes the Enniskerry fighter a back to back to back Elite Champion.

75kg: Aoife O’Rourke (Olympic C) beats Aoibhe Carabine (Geesala)

Back to back European gold medal winner Aoife O’Rourke got a win for Roscommon over Mayo as she claimed another Elite title.

The reigning European champion secured a unanimous decision win over European Junior and Under-22 medal winner Aoibhe Carabine.

Olympic Galway’s O’Rourke showed her class in rounds two and three in particular to win her FIFTH Irish title on the trot.

71kg: Dean Walsh (St Ibars/Josephs) beats Jon McConnell (Holy Trinity)

The fairy tale story has a fairy tale ending!

Dean Walsh is National Elite Champion again and back waving Wexford flags in the famous ring.

Walsh fell away from the sport after encouthering personal troubles but returns to the game a new man and is now champion at an Olympic weight.

If Walsh thought the hard work was done when he beat Olympic medal Aidan Walsh in Friday’s semi final he would have been wrong.

Jon McConnell put up a good fight, indeed he played his part in a Fight of the Night contender. At one stage the confident Holy Trinity fighter looked like he might win the entertaining bout but Walsh finished the second round superbly before making sure he put one foot on the Paris path with a brilliant final stanza.

The title win is Walsh’s fifth at the level and his first since 2017.

57kg: Michaela Walsh (Emerald A) beat Kelsey Leonard (Unit 3)

Micheala Walsh became the second fighter to join the 10 title club tonight after featherweight final victory.

The Belfast star joined Kenneth Egan, Jim O’Sullivan and Kellie Harrington on the list of Irish fighters with 10 National Elite titles.

The 29-year-old, who has won seven major international titles, can look a class above at national level and showed her quality again here.

Kelsey Leonard, who impressed in her semi final and was fancied to test the decorated star, gave a good account of herself, but Walsh is a world class operator.

51kg: Sean Mari (Monkstown D/Defence F) beats Clepson dos Santos (Holy Trinity)

The body snatcher Sean Mari claimed the first stoppage win of the night.

Mari forced European Under-22 and Commonwealth Games quarter finals Clepson dos Santos to take a knee on three occassions across three rounds before the referee stepped in and called a halt to proceedings.

It was a sensational display by the solider in what deemed to be one of the more hard to call fights of finals night.

The 22-year-old missed the last Elites as he was away winning Milatary Championships bronze but added to his 2020 title in style.

66kg: Grainne Walsh (Spartacus) beats Amy Broadhurst (St Bronaghs)

Grainne Walsh produced the performance of the tournament beating Amy Broadhurst to return to the National Elite winners circle.

Brilliant Broadhurst has proved one of the standout operators in world boxing over the last 12 months, winning World, European and Commonwealth gold but couldn’t get over the national line at an increased weight tonight.

Tonight was Walsh’s night! The former Shamrock Rovers player, who has had massive thumb injuries and fought sporadically since 2019 as a result was determined to grab her chance. The almost forgotten about 27-year-old was aggressive, accomplished and accurate en route to her third Elite title win.

It was close, just as the 3-2 scorecard suggests, but Walsh produced the round of the tournament in the last to make sure of the win and prove she too is an international quality operator.

80kg: Keelyn Cassidy (Saviours Crystal) beats Jason Clancy (Sean McDermott)

Not quite as dramatic as his last title win but equally as impressive as Kelyn Cassidy became a two time National Elite Champion.

It was all power when he broke his National Elite duct with a stoppage victory over Tommy Hyde in the last Elite instalment. However, the Waterford fighter went from blasting his way into the winners circle to dancing onto the podium tonight. Showing all the confidence of an Elite operator with world level experience he secured a unanimous points win over Jason Clancy.

Cassidy should get the chance to qualify for the Olympics at the European Games although Gabriel Dossen has his hand raised and will want a chance to impress the selectors.

70kg: Christina Desmond (Dungarvan/Garda) beats Tiffany O’Reilly (Portlaoise/Defence F)

Christina Desmond is now a five time Irish Elite Champion.

The Cork fighter always looked in control and on top as the unamious scorecard would suggest, but O’Reilly did make her work for the three rounds and was a game competitor.

One more to go!

92kg: Jack Marley (Monkstown D) beats Patrick Ward (Olympic C)

Marley remains the man at heavyweight after victory over Patrick Ward in the final fight of the night.

The Monkstown 20 year-old retaining his title after a unanimous victory.

To his credit Ward proved awkward, hard to hit but the European Under-22 gold medal winner never looked like losing.

Female Boxer of the Night has just been presented to Daina Moorehouse, while Dean Walsh won the male equivilent.