Five male and female defending champions are between the ropes in the last-four of the National Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships at Dublin’s National Stadium this weekend.
Galway’s Patrick Mongan and Wexford’s Dean Walsh are in action in the lightweight and welterweight semi-finals versus Dubliner George Bates and Galway’s Kieran Molloy tonight and Limerick’s Martin Keenan meets Dublin super-heavy John McDonnell on Saturday two wins away from retaining his 91kg+ belt.
Mongan versus Bates is a repeat of the 2017 final, which the man Olympic BC edged on a 3-2 split decision, while the Walsh versus Molloy three-rounder has the potential to be one of the bouts of the weekend at the home of Irish boxing.
Dervla Duffy, the defending featherweight champion, goes head-to-head with Ashley McCullough and welterweight titlist Grainne Walsh awaits the winner of the Connie Vaughan and Ciara Sheedy three-rounder.
Eight male and female quarter-finals will also be decided on Friday. The 2015 European Youth champion Michael Nevin trades leather with David Biscevas at middleweight.
Limerick heavyweight Kevin Sheehy has impressed for the St Francis BC so far this season. The Shannonsider claimed National Senior and U/22 belts for Andy Lee’s former Alma mater in December and January.
He's in against Athlone’s World University bronze medallist Ken Okungbowa in the last-eight looking to edge a step closer to securing the vacant heavyweight title and a third Irish belt in as many months.
Okungbowa was beaten by London 2012 Olympian Darren O’Neill, who pulled out of the 2018 Championships with a hand injury, in the 2017 decider.
Belfast’s current EU Elite champion Michaela Walsh goes head-to-head with Cork’s Tiegan Russell for a place in the featherweight final on Saturday evening, while former World Junior champion, Olympic Youth finalist, Ciara Ginty, meets Katie Taylor’s ex Bray BC team-mate Gillian Duffy.
World and European Elite silver and bronze medallists Kellie Harrington and Christina Desmond received byes into the lightweight and middleweight finals on Saturday week.
Irish female boxing is building up for a crucial year with the 2018 European and World Elite Championships scheduled for May and November in Poland and India.
It’s also expected that the International Boxing Association (AIBA) will unveil two extra female weights for females at Tokyo 2020 this year.
Women currently box in the flyweight, lightweight and middle limits at the Olympics but the International Olympic Committee has demanded that AIBA improve gender ratios for the next Olympiad.
36 female boxers. 12.5/% of the total, and 250 males competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Boxing is allocated 286 places at each Olympiad.
The 2018 National Elite Championship finals are scheduled for February 24 at the National Stadium.
A second National Elites for women and men will be held in September and November this year ahead of the qualifiers for Tokyo 2020.
Live Coverage of the 2018 National Elite Championship finals will be broadcast live on RTÉ Television on Saturday, February 24
2018 National Elite Men’s and Women’s National Elite Championships National Stadium Dublin
Friday, February 16th (7pm)
Q/Finals
69kg Connie Vaughan (Duhallow) V Ciara Sheedy (Ardnaree)
75kg Kelyn Cassidy (Saviours Crystal) V Peter Carr (Crumlin)
75kg Glory Carlos Imuala (Maynooth) V Brett McGinty (Oakleaf)
75kg John Maughan (St Marys Dublin) V Gerard French (Clonard Antrim)
75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise) V David Biscevas (St Saviours OBA)
81kg Brian Kennedy (St Marys Daingean) V Robert Burke (Glasnevin)
81kg Anthony Browne (St Michaels Dub) V Davit Tsotsoria (Illies GG)
91kg Kevin Sheehy (St Francis) V Kenneth Okungbowa (Athlone)
S/Finals
57kg Dervla Duffy (Mulhuddart) V Ashley McCullough (Albert Foundry)
56kg Myles Casey (St Francis) V Evan Metcalfe (Hyland Academy)
56kg Thomas McCarthy (Setanta) V Christian Cekiso (Portlaoise)
60kg Patrick Mongan (Olympic) V George Bates (St Marys Dublin)
60kg Francis Cleary (Ballina) V Adam Kelly (Portlaoise)
64kg Keith Flavin (Paulstown) V Wayne Kelly (Portlaoise)
64kg Caoimhin Ferguson (Clonard A) V Colm Quinn (Castlebar)
69kg Dean Walsh (St Ibars) V Kieran Molloy (Oughterard)
69kg Eugene McKeever (Holy Family D) V Tony McGlynn (Crumlin)
91+kg Patrick Nevin (St Michaels Dub) V Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Saturday, February 17th (7.30pm)
S/Finals
48kg Courtney Daly (Crumlin) V Shannon Sweeney (St Annes)
48kg Megan Doyle (Whitechurch) V Carol Coughlan (Monkstown D)
57kg Tiegan Russell (Fr Horgans) V Michaela Walsh (Mokstown A)
69kg Grainne Walsh (Sparticus) V Winner
69kg Gillian Duffy (Bray) V Ciara Ginty (Geesala)
75kg Winner V Winner
75kg Winner V Winner
81kg Karol Blugosz (Scorpion) V Winner
81kg Winner V Caomhin Hynes (Holy Trinity)
91kg Liam Greene (South Meath) V Winner
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield) V Jason Barron (Holy Trinity)
91+kg Martin Keenan (Rathkeale) V John McDonnell (Crumlin)
