Denis Hogan has been sparring with Drimnagh southpaw Jimmy Sweeney ahead of his third meeting with Ken Egan in just over a year at the National Stadium on Friday night.
Neilstown southpaw Egan, who is targeting a historic tenth Irish senior title on the trot, meets Hogan in the semi-finals of the Elite National Men's Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin on Friday night.
The light heavyweight meeting will be the third clash between the duo at the same venue.
Both men met in the 2009 Senior Championships semi-finals and Egan won 16-3. They then traded leather in a box-off to help with the selection process for the Irish 2009 AIBA World Championships squad last summer. Egan won that encounter with a score of 12-1.
But despite the reversals, 24-year-old Hogan of the Grangecon Boxing Club, who beat Darren Cruise to book his ticket into the last four, is expressing quiet confidence.
The former Irish intermediate champion, a carpenter by trade, also believes that sparring with Drimnagh ace Sweeney won't do his prospects any harm at all.
He said: ‘I've one year’s senior experience under my belt and I will be confident going into the semi-final. Hopefully I can cause an upset. We'll see on Friday night.
‘I've been doing a lot of training at the Drimnagh Boxing Club for the championships and I've been sparring with Jimmy Sweeney. Jimmy's a southpaw and and Ken's a southpaw so I'll know exactly what to expect.
‘Ken beat me on the last two occasions and fair play to him, but I've got a year's experience at boxing senior now and you'll see a different man in the semi-finals this time out.’
Meanwhile, St Michael's Athy club-mates John Joe Joyce, who has moved up from light welterweight, and Roy Sheahan meet in the welterweight semi-final.
Commentating on the Athy derby, IABA President Dominic O'Rourke, who is also coach at the St Michael's Athy BC, said that he was looking forward to a good technical clash between two top class boxers.
Defending champions Darren O'Neill, Con Sheahan, Philip Sutcliffe and Eric Donovan, who produced a master class in last weekend's win over Marc McCullough, will also be involved in the last four bouts this weekend.
Jimmy Sweeney will also be in action at the weekend. The Drimnagh man takes on former senior champion Alan Reynolds at heavyweight on Saturday night.
Two elite women's welterweight semi-finals will be decided Friday and Saturday. The Novice Championships quarter-finals will also be decided at the home of Irish boxing at the weekend.
Championships dates: 26 and 27 February; 5 and 6 March.
Elite Men's Championship semi-finals, Friday 26 February (7pm):
51kg: Ruairi Dalton (Holy Trinity) v Gary Molloy (Moate)
57kg: Ryan Lindberg (Immaculata) v Tyrone McCullough (Illies GG)
60kg: Eric Donovan (St Michael's Athy) v Ciaran Bates (St Mary's)
64kg: Philip Sutcliffe (Crumlin) v Ray Moylette (St Anne's)
69kgF:Caroline Connolly (Raphoe) v Jessica Lyons (St Francis)
69kg: Willie McLaughlin (Illies GG) v Adam Nolan (Bray)
75kg: Darren O'Neill (Paulstown) v Tom O'Donnell (Ballymun)
81kg: Ken Egan (Neilstown) v Denis Hogan (Grangecon)
91kg: Con Sheehan (Clonmel) v David McGuire (Crumlin)
91+kg: Cathal McMonagle (Holy Trinity) v Chris Devanney (Ballincarrow)
Novice Championship quarter-finals, Friday 26 February (7pm):
54kg: Colm Kavanagh (Smithfield) v Chris Smith (Canal)
60kg: Owen McAuley (Twintowns) v Darragh Hill (Clonard)
60kg: Nigel Kwenda (Blessington) v Stephen McKeown (Keady)
60kg: Conor Mallon (Smithboro) v Stephen Ormsby (Castlebar)
Elite Men's Championship semi-finals, Saturday 27 February (7pm):
51kg: Michael Conlon (St John Bosco) v Conor Ahern (Baldoyle)
57kg: Sean Kilroy (Holy Family) v James Fryers (Immaculata)
60kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael's Athy) v Ross Hickey (Grangecon)
64kg: Stephen Donnelly (All Saints) v Sonny Upton (Holy Family)
69kgF: Kelly Harrington (West Finglas) v Patricia Roddy (Bray)
69kg: John Joe Joyce (St Michael's Athy) v Roy Sheahan (St Michael's Athy)
75kg: Eamon O'Kane (Immaculata) v Jason Quigley (Finn Valley)
81kg: Tommy McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett) v Michael Ward (St Ailbhes)
91kg: Alan Reynolds (Ballincarrow) v Jimmy Sweeney (Drimnagh)
91+kg: Gareth Smith (Crumlin) v Tommy Sheehan (St Michael's Athy)
Novice Championship quarter-finals, Saturday 27 February
(1.30pm):
64kg: Conor Ryan (Crumlin) v Anthony Hickey (Whitechurch)
64kg: Neill O'Brien (West Finglas) v Eythan Audley (Holy Trinity)
64kg: Dean Fitzsimons (Bracken) v Jamie Byrne (Angels)
64kg: Michael Smyth (Cairn Lodge) v Mark McParland (Clonard)
69kg: Conal Hall (Clonard) v Patrick Magee (Twintowns)
71kg: Arthur Medizkov (Athlone) v Edward O'Connor (Sacred Heart)
71kg:David Waters (St Michael's) v Thomas Mulinaskiy (Neilstown)
71kg: Michael Loney (Townland) v Fintan Condron (St Saviours)
71kg: Michael Murphy (Lumanie) v Colm Nolan (Bray)
75kg:John Egan (Drimnagh) v Szymon Lewczuk (Geesala)
75kg: Julio Carravilio (Monkstown) v Conor Clifford (Lucan)
75kg: Matthew Orr (Cairn Lodge) v Carl Cogan (Crumlin)
75kg: Paul Farrell (Sacred Heart) v Craig Renwick (Bray)
81kg: David Holban (Eagle) v Gerard Healy (Gleann)
81kg: James Boylan (Carrickmacross) v Wayne McDonagh (Deansrath)
81kg:Jamie Barnes (Saviours Crystal) v Thomasz Kunel (Geesala)
81kg: Gregory Dunne (St Matthews) v Moctar Balgan (Deansrath)
85kg: Stephen O'Sullivan (Illies GG) v Mantas Servia (Lucan)
91kg: Barry Keegan (Bray) v James Kenry (St Michael's Athy)
91kg: Eoin O'Sullivan (Clonard) v David Britten (Saviours Crystal)
91kg: Shane McAndrew (Geesala) v Aaron Donovan (Dungarvan)
(7pm)
91+kg: Peter Cassidy (Ballyhaunis) v Niall Forde (Eagle)
91+kg: Robbie Coyle (Lucan) v Trevor Foley (Crumlin)
91+kg: Rafa Bronkal (Eagle) v Paul Courtney (Lucan)
91+kg: Michael McGrath (Dungarvan) v Jonathan York (Springhill)
National Championships preview
