The Irish Elite Boxing Championships got under way on Tuesday in Dublin with the first of four days of action, leading to Friday’s finals.
There was disappointment for former lightweight champion John Paul Hale as he dropped a unanimous decision to Mullingar’s Jason Nevin in an all-action light-welterweight Quarter-Final.
The Ulster champion began well with accurate boxing finding the target, but as the bout progressed, Nevin stamped his authority with aggressive flurries downstairs forcing the Star ABC man to stand and trade.
Hale had his moments with some eye-catching combinations, but not enough of them as Nevin outworked him and took the decision. The Mullingar man will now take on defending champion Aaron O’Donoghue in Thursday’s Semi-Final.
Erne’s Rhys Owens is through to the lightweight Semi-Finals on Thursday as he was a 4-1 winner over Waterford’s Adam Kiely and he will now face Lee McEvoy who got a bye into the last four.
However, there was disappointment for his clubmate, Anthony Malanaphy also exited on a unanimous verdict against Malo Davis at the preliminary stage of the welterweight division.
On Wednesday, Holy Trinity’s Joseph McArdle enters the fray in this division as he faces Luke Hall from Olympic in Mullingar, while Townland’s Conor McCrory is up against Darren O’Connor.
The remaining action on Wednesday is at the Semi-Final stage with another of the Holy Trinity contingent, Jon McConnell, up against south Armagh native Eugene McKeever, who represents Holy Family in Drogheda.
McKeever came through his 71kg quarter-final on Tuesday against Illies GG southpaw Matthew McCole — whom he defeated in the 2023 Semi-Final — on a tight 3-2 verdict and will now take on McConnell in something of an Ulster derby.
Ryan Collins-Murphy from St Monica’s, Newry is also in last four action on Wednesday as he takes on Jason Clancy in the cruiserweight division.