Day 3 of the Irish Third-level Boxing Championships took place last night in the High Performance Gym at the National Boxing Stadium and many semi-finals were completed along with three finals.

Dundalk IT student Christopher O’Neill got the ball rolling as he took a unanimous decision against David Giles  (GMIT). Daniel McCarthy (UL) won the corresponding fixture by stopping Daniel O’Sullivan (CIT) in round 2.

Same Palani (ITTD) won unanimously against Final Flynn (DCU) in the Junior Novice 75KG division. He will meet another Dundalk boxer in the final as Jean-Pierre Kaluena (OFIF) saw off Robert Collins (DCU) in his semi-final.

In the Junior Novice 81KG, Eoin Carolan (TCD) will meet Rudolfus Nemickas (DCU) after he won against Benas Pikcilingis (CIT).

Felix Hawksworth (DCU) advanced to the Senior Novice final with a unanimous decision over Nathan Cooke (NUIG).

In the Senior Novice 75KG division, Dungloe ABC boxer Danny Boyle took the first title of the 2018 IATBA Championships for Letterkenny IT when he stopped Paul Fitzgibbon (WIT) in round 3 of their final.

In the Female Senior Elite 51KG final, Lois Walsh (GMIT) had her hand raised in victory after an excellent tussle with Chloe O’Keefe (UL).

This was followed by another excellent contest where Kellie McLoughlin (ICFE) took a unanimous decision over Clodagh McComiskey (SRC) in the Senior Elite 57KG final. Both these girls had represented the IATBA at last season’s Haringey Cup and it was a final that lived up to all expectations.

In the male Senior Elite 60KG semi-final, DCU boxer Terry McEntee took a split decision over Shane Flavin (WIT). This bout ebbed and flowed and in the end there was little between the boxers with McEntee getting the mid from the judges.7

Conor Tighe (ITS) makes the Senior Elite 75KG final while Eamon Tighe (ITS) made the Senior Elite 91+KG final to ensure Sligo I.T. will have three Ballinacarrow boxers in the St.Patricks Day finals.

Pat Mongan (GMIT) also got to the final with a unanimous decision over Niall O’Sullivan in the Senior Elite 81KG semi-final.

The St.Patricks Day IATBA finals start at 10:30am in the National Boxing Stadium with all boxers having to weigh-in between 8am and 9:30am beforehand.

Pictures

IABA President Dominic O’Rourke presenting Senior Novice 75KG Champion Danny Boyle (LKIT) with his medal and certificate.

IABA President Dominic O’Rourke presenting Senior Elite 51KG Champion Lois Walsh with her medal and certificate

Clodagh McComiskey and Elite 57KG Champion Kellie McLoughlin with President Dom O’Rourke

Referee Malachy Scott raises Terry McEntees hand after an epic battle with Shane Flavin

Kellie McLoughlin gets some wise words from coach Jimmy Kelly

Copy and pictures courtesy of Paddy Gallagher

Joe Ward cruised to his second win of the season for the British Lionhearts in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) in Milan tonight.

The current European Elite light-heavy champion beat Bulgaria’s current Olympic Youth champion Blagoy Naydenov 50-45 on all three cards to help the Lionhearts to a Group B win over Italia Thunder.

Ward, who staggered Naydenov with big backhands in the earlier rounds, beat Damir Plantic of the Croatian Knights on an identical score in Newcastle last month and has yet to drop a round after ten rounds of WSB boxing so far in 2018.

Irish coach Dmitry Dimitruk was working Ward’s corner for evening’s five-rounder and said the Westmeath southpaw was always on top.

The Lionhearts won the five-bout match 4-1 to strengthen their grip on second spot in the Group B table behind the French Fighting Roosters.

Ward, a two-time World Elite finalist, will be back in action versus the French in Newport, Wales in mid April.

“I was always in control,” said Rio Olympian Ward. “The guy was very passive, it was never in doubt. I probably won that fight at 50%, cruising. I’m looking forward to the next fight against the French, they’ll be more of a threat.”

56kg: Marc Castro

60kg: Keyshawn Davis

64kg: Amelia Moore

64kg: Charlie Sheehy

64kg: Delante Johnson

69kg: Oshae Jones

69kg: Quinton Randall

75kg: Nikita Ababiy

75kg: Troy Isley

81kg: Khalil Coe

91kg: Adrian Tillman

USA v Ireland March 12th Boston

54kg: Virginia Fuchs beat Lauren Hogan RSC2

60kg: Stacia Suttles lost to Kellie Harrington 0-3

69kg: Oshae Jones beat Grainne Walsh 2-1

60kg: Marc Castro beat Frankie Cleary 3-0

60kg: Keyshawn Davis beat George Bates 3-0

64kg: Tiger Johnson beat Wayne Kelly 2-1

69kg: Quinton Randall lost to Kieran Molloy 1-2

75kg: Troy Isley beat Bret McGinty 3-0

75kg: Nikita Ababiy lost to Michael Nevin 1-2

81kg: Khalil Coe beat Caoimhin Agyarko-Hynes 3-0

91kg: Adrian Tillman lost to Kiril Afanasev Pts 1-2

91kg+: Richard Torres beat Dean Gardiner 3-0

USA 8 Ireland 4

Irish squad

Female

54kg: Lauren Hogan (St Brigid’s BC)

60kg: Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s BC)

69kg: Grainne Walsh (Spartacus BC)

75kg: Aoife Burke (St Mary’s BC)

Male

91kg+: Dean Gardiner (Clonmel BC)

91kg: Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield BC)

81kg: Caoimhin Agyarko-Hynes (Holy Trinity BC)

75kg: Michael Nevin (Portlaoise BC)

75kg: Brett McGinty (Oakleaf BC)

75kg: Gerard French (Clonard BC)

69kg: Kieran Molloy (Oughterard BC)

69kg: Eugene McKeever (Holy Family BC)

64kg: Wayne Kelly (Portlaoise BC)

64kg: Caoimhin Ferguson (Clonard BC)

64kg: Paddy Donovan (OLOL BC)

60kg: George Bates (St Mary’s BC)

60kg: Francis Cleary (Ballina BC)

Team manager – Bernard Dunne

Head coach – Zauri Antia

Coach – Phillip Keogh

Coach – Martin Donovan

Coach – Paul Thompson

51 kg: Virginia Fuchs, Katy, Texas, 29

56 kg: Duke Ragan, Cincinnati, Ohio, 29

60 kg: Stacia Suttles, Bronx, N.Y., 23

60 kg: James Browning, Las Vegas, Nev., 18

64 kg: Charlie Sheehy, Brisbane, Calif., 19

69 kg: Quinton Randall, Humble, Texas, 27

69 kg: Freudis Rojas Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., 19

75 kg: Nikita Ababiy, Brooklyn, N.Y., 19

75 kg: Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., 28

91 kg: Jared Anderson, Toledo, Ohio, 18

91+ kg: Richard Torres, Tulare, Calif., 18