FOUR DONEGAL BOXERS are in action tonight in quarter-finals of the National Senior Championships in Dublin.
Orin McDermott (Raphoe), Paul Kelly (Twin Towns), Garbhan Friel (Illies) and John McDonagh (Letterkenny) will all be on the canvas of the National Stadium in their respective divisions.
These are the former National Intermediate Championships, of which Kelly was a finalist two years ago. Back then, the Twin Towns middleweight lost out to Ryan Dervan in a televised final, but he’s back in the capital and looking to make a mark again.
Last weekend, Kelly stopped Niall McDermott from Ballinacarrow and in a middleweight quarter-final tonight he meets Crumlin’s Tony McGlynn.
McDermott is no stranger to this stage. A two-time Irish champion with Finn Valley ABC in his time, the now Raphoe ABC welter is up against Thurles’ Conor Ivors tonight after he defeated James Cahill on Saturday.
Illies light-heavyweight Friel, a talented all-rounder, meets Two Castles man Ryan Donnelly and Letterkenny heavyweight McDonagh takes on St Mary’s Dublin boxer Michael Frayne.
Friel stopped Shane O’Brien last weekend and McDonagh recorded a ferocious KO win against Brian Ward.
One Donegal boxer – namely Illies super-heavyweight Davit Tsotsoria, who faces Marcin Skalski tomorrow – is already into the semi-finals.
The semi-finals for tonight’s victors also take place tomorrow.
