MCCOMB LOOKS FORWARD TO UKRAINE TEST

Sean McComb

Sean McComb

 

Sean McComb believes that June’s European Elite Championships in the Kharkiv, Ukraine will, given Europe’s reputation as one of the top boxing continents, test Irish boxing.

However, the Belfast southpaw is confident he’ll qualify at the 42nd edition of the tournament for the AIBA World Elite Championships in Hamburg, Germany in August/September.

The top eight in each of the ten weights in Kharkiv book ticket for Hamburg. The Europeans have 80 qualifying berths on offer for the Worlds, the highest quota of all the continents.

McComb moved up from light to light-welter to claim his third Irish Elite title last Friday after beating Wayne Kelly in the 64kg final at Dublin’s National Stadium.

“I think it is a tough ask considering that Europe is one of the hardest continents, although I will be confident in qualifying for the World Championships,” said the Holy Trinity BC man who claimed bronze for Ireland at the 2015 European Games in Azerbaijan.

McComb is signed with the British Lionhearts in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) for this season. The Lionhearts meet France in Paris on Thursday, but a call up for McComb was never on the cards this month as the National Elites were underway. He expects to be selected next month or in April.

The two-weight Irish champion also believes that moving up from 60kg to 64kg allows him to focus on tactics rather than the weighing scale.

“I felt brilliant (at light-welter at the Irish Elite Championships). I think it was clear to see as well. The move up allows me to train properly and work on the right tactics to suit my style rather than losing weight.”

Meantime, the Irish Elite High-Performance squad resume training in Abbotstown on February 28th.