Boxing – Donegal well represented at National U22 Championships and U18 Opens

Some 13 boxers from Donegal are set to weigh in for the National U22 Championships and Under-18 Opens at the National Stadium.

Boxing begins tonight at the South Circular Road venue after the weigh-in and draws are conducted earlier in the day.

St Johnston man Brett McGinty is back in action after losing out to Aidan Walsh in the recent Ulster Elite final in Belfast, but the Oakleaf ABC puncher has stepped up to the middleweight division for the U22s.

The McCole brothers from Dungloe, Matthew (64kgs) and Mark (69kgs) will also be looking to make inroads in the U22s.

Mark McCole is one of three Donegal boxers at welterweight with Bryan McNamee of Convoy and Patrick McConigley from Letterkenny also in the mix.

Illies Golden Gloves’ John Moran goes at 49kgs with Cathal Browne and Kenan Gibson in the mix at 81kgs.

Carndonagh’s nine-time Irish champion, Labhaoise Clarke, will be hoping to get back on track as she bids for success in the female middleweight division. Clarke had to bow out of the AIBA World Youths in India back in November after sustaining a hand injury.

Now, she’s back and ready for action again.

Dunfanaghy’s former Irish champion Sean Kelly is tipped to be in the mix for the honours at 52kgs in the Under-18 Opens.

Also, in the U18s, Dunfanaghy’s Ciara Craig has entered at 57kgs while Fionn Rodgers (Dungloe) is in at 56kgs and Convoy’s Regan Ward gloves off at 64kgs.

The IABA is running both tournaments as part of their selection process for the 2018 European U/22 Men’s Championships and 2018 European Men’s and Women’s Youth Championships.

The European U/22s will be hosted in Targu, Romania from March 24 to April 2.

The European Youths are pencilled in for in Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy from April 17 to April 26.

Roseto degli Abruzzi marks the first time that the European Youths will be a joint male and female tournament.

The 2018 European Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Championships, to be hosted in Albena, Bulgaria from May 21 to May 30, will also be a joint male and female tournament for the first time this year.