Martin Keenan ensured that there will be one male defending champion in next Saturday’s National Elite finals at the National Stadium in Dublin.
The Rathkeale BC super-heavy beat Dubliner John McDonnell on a unanimous decision at the Stadium tonight to set up a Limerick versus Tipperary showdown with Dean Gardiner - a repeat of a box-off for a place on the Irish European team, which Gardiner, an ex Irish Elite champion, won last year.
Former World Junior champion and Olympic Youth finalist Ciara Ginty and current European Union Elite bronze medalist Grainne Walsh will meet for the welterweight title.
Both women won their semi-finals tonight, with Ginty beating Gillian Duffy on a 4-1 split decision and Walsh scoring a unanimous decision over Ciara Sheehy.
European Union Elite champion Michaela Walsh received a walkover and faces Dervla Duffy in the featherweight decider.
Featherweight has been added to the three existing – fly, light and middle – Olympic weights for females for this year’s Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, which suggests that the limit will also be included on the program for Tokyo 2020.
Laois’ former European Youth champion Michael Nevin and Derry’s ex Commonwealth Games Youth medallist Brett McGinty are through to the middleweight final.
Nevin, who took a standing count in the second round, took all five judges with him in an impressive performance against Gerard French, who had scored a spectacular KO of John Maughan on Friday. McGinty beat Kelyn Cassidy.
"I’m delighted with the win and I can’t wait for the final," said Elite debutant Nevin after his second victory in 24 hours at the home of Irish boxing.
"I got caught with a good shot (standing count) but I recovered very quickly and well and I thought I out boxed him."
Limerick’s Kevin Sheehy progressed to the heavyweight final on a 4-1 verdict over Liam Greene. Irish international Kiril Afanasev won the other last-four bout.
The heavyweight title is vacant this year after London 2012 Olympian Darren O’Neill withdrew with a hand injury.
Sheehy, who boxes out of the St Francis BC, Andy Lee’s former club, has risen from relative obscurity to win an Irish Senior (formerly Intermediate) belt in December and an U-22 title in December and is now aiming for one of the biggest prizes in Irish boxing.
The National Elite finals will decided next Saturday at the National Stadium.
2018 National Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships National Stadium Dublin
Finals - February 24th
48kg Shannon Sweeney (St Annes) V Carol Coughlan (Monkstown D)
49kg Ricky Nesbitt (Carrickmacross) V Conor Jordan (St Aidans)
51kg Ceire Smith (Virginia/DCU) V Niamh Early (Ryston)
52kg Conor Quinn (Clonard Antrim) W/O
54kg Lauren Hogan (St Brigids E) V Amanda Loughlin (St Michaels Dub)
56kg Evan Metcalfe (Hyland Academy) V Thomas McCarthy (Setanta)
57kg Dervla Duffy (Mulhuddart) V Michaela Walsh (Monkstown A)
60kg George Bates (St Marys Dublin) v Francis Cleary (Ballina)
60kg Amy Broadhurst (Dealgan) V Kellie Harrington (St Marys Dublin)
64kg Joanne Lambe (Carrickmacross) W/O
64kg Wayne Kelly (Portlaoise) V Caoimhin Ferguson (Clonard A)
69kg Kieran Molloy (Oughterard) V Eugene McKeever (Holy Family D)
69kg Grainne Walsh (Sparticus) V Ciara Ginty (Geesala)
75kg Aoife Burke (St Marys Dublin) V Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans)
75kg Brett McGinty (Oakleaf) V Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)
81kg Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea) W/O
81kg Brian Kennedy (St Marys Daingean) V Caomhin Hynes (Holy Trinity)
81+kg Lisa Browne (Aglish) V Nell Fox (Rathkeale)
91kg Kevin Sheehy (St Francis) V Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel) V Martin Keenan (Rathkeale)
