McComb putting Joyce friendship aside in hunt for Olympic spot

Good pals Sean McComb and David Oliver Joyce will come to blows in one of the fights of the night at the Elite finals on Friday.

The lightweight duo have the greatest of respect for each other, but Belfast’s McComb told irish-boxing.com that this will count for nothing when they share the ring at the National Stadium.

The Holy Trinity fighter explained that “with me and DOJ we are friends and we will put the friendship to the side for 9 minutes and battle it out!”

Indeed there is more than an Irish title on the line for the pair (McComb looking for a third while Joyce searches for his sixth), with a spot on the plane to the Olympic qualifiers in Turkey and Azerbaijan also up for grabs.

In their previous meeting, the 2014 final, three-time EU gold medalist Joyce came out on top, a fact not lost on McComb who reasons that “It’s 1-0 to him but I’m confident in making it 1-1 after Friday.”

Additionally, the stylish southpaw expects a great clash for the fans who will pack into the historic venue, and predicts:

“a thrilling fight it will be and I’ll be one step closer to Rio!”