Intermediate Championships round-up

Cork's Jamie Long looked on course for victory after forcing Anthony O'Brien into a standing eight count and taking a 3-2 first round lead, however, the Baldoyle Dublin bantamweight came storming back to oblige Long to take two counts of his own en route to chalking up a 13-6 win.

Meanwhile, Sean McComb joined his Holy Trinity club-mate Ruairi Dalton in next Friday's finals after earning a 10-2 decision over Antrim's John Cooley.

Cooley received a public warning for turning his back on McComb in the second round of this 57Kg duel. However - except for a few nervy moments in the opening frame as Cooley burrowed inside - the tall and rangy McComb always looked in control

McComb will now meet James Fryers in an all Belfast featherweight final after the Immaculata man beat Darren Quigley 11-2. Fryers said: 'I was delighted with the win. I know Sean and he had a good win also. We've never boxed each other before so it should be an interesting final.'

Ulster's dominance of the Championships continued over the next four bouts with Mark O'Hara, Paul T Hyland, Patrick Gallagher and Jamie Kennedy all recording wins.

Gleann light welterweight Gallagher looked in typical uncompromising form, stopping Shaun McShane in round one, and Kennedy reversed a 2-1 deficit in the corresponding semi final to see off the challenge of Stephen Coughlan.

Kennedy, using right hand, left hook tactics to great effect, claimed the second 8-6. However, Coughlan pulled back within one point of the Antrim ace in the third until Kennedy added another four points to his total.

Niall Murray meanwhile advanced from the first welterweight last four clash of the evening after Stephen Carroll was retired in round three. Murray will face Daniel Quinn in the 67Kg decider following the Glasnevin man's victory over Michael Bustard.

Both boxers looked destined for a count-back in this contest after heading down the home stretch locked at 4-4. However, Bustard handed the initiative to Quinn after receiving a public warning for dropping his head in the third.

Following that brief hiccup for Northern boxers, Donegal light middleweight Paul Dooley beat Emmet Brennan 2-1 and Immaculata's JP Delaney, boxing well within himself, carved out a hard fought but well earned verdict over Shane Egan.

Meantime, the all Dublin middleweight clash between Bernard Roe and Luke Keeler lived up to its billing with the lead changing hand twice in an opening frame featuring heavy ordnance.

Roe edged ahead by one point to lead 3-2 mid way through second and then added another fine right near the bell to command a 4-2 advantage.

Keeler, as expected, came storming back in the third. However, Roe withstood the Crumlin club man's furious onslaught to pick off another five points for the Dublin Docklands club.

There were wins also for Michael Frayne and Brian Fitzpatrick, who advanced after Mark Carlyle was retired with a facial injury in the first, Sean Allen and Patrick O'Shea.

Current U/21 champion O'Shea ensured that there will be one Cork boxer in the final with a 12-1 verdict over Robbie Burke, and the Crumlin clubs poor run at IABA headquarters stretched to five semi final defeats in a row when David McGuire lost out to St Francis southpaw William McDonagh in a very competitive heavyweight clash.

Robert Kraska, much to the delight of his fans, U/21 champ Sean Turner, with a first round stoppage and Christopher Devanney won the final three bouts of the evening

The 2009 National Intermediate finals will take place on Friday 11 December. Boxing begins at 7.30pm. The weigh-in will take place between 8am and 9am and 12 noon and 1pm on Friday at the National Stadium.