Former Irish champion Eoin McGarrell was back to winning ways yesterday as the Raphoe ABC puncher won a North-West Zones title.
Three years ago, ‘Bullet’ McGarrell – then in the yellow and black of Finn Valley ABC – won an Irish Boy 2 title and now he’s looking to climb the ladder again.
At the North-West Zones finals, McGarrell, who switched to the Raphoe club before Christmas, defeated St John’s man Darius Parke to claim the Junior 1, 48kgs crown.
McGarrell lost out in an Ulster 9 Counties final to Danny Duffy recently, but will hope now to build on this latest, impressive win, after returning from an injury.
Picture caption: Liam McMonagle and Eoin McGarrell of Raphoe ABC celebrate their North-West Zones finals wins.
McGarrell was among the winners in the ring at the finals, held at Rochester’s ABC in Derry and will now go forward to the Ulster finals next Sunday at the 2000 Centre in Newtownstewart.
The Ulster champions will go forward to the National finals in Dublin, which will be boxed over three weekends, the finals being held on April 7 and 8.
50 boxers from 21 clubs weighed in on Saturday with 11 finals going down for decision.
McGarrell’s Raphoe ABC colleague Liam McMonagle overcame Irish finalist Shane Stokes from St John’s in the Boy 4, 54kgs final.
Carndonagh’s Oisin Devlin made no mistake in an all-Donegal bout against St Brigid’s man Hugh Doherty. In their Junior 1, 66kgs decider, Devlin stopped the Clonmany puncher in the second round.
Letterkenny ABC lad Joe Harkin was also victorious in an all-Donegal final as he had the measure of Dunfanaghy’s Adam Hall.
Letterkenny’s Michael O’Connor lost out to Shay Neeson of Moneyglass at Boy 4, 39kgs, Michael O’Donnell of Letterkenny was stopped by Corey McLaughlin from Errigal at Boy 4, 60kgs and another Letterkenny boxers, Owen Ward, lost to St Canice’s Joseph Burke in the Boy 4, 50kgs bout.
Kai Weir of Finn Valley ABC battled gamely, but succumbed to Maydown’s Eoin McLaughlin in the Junior 1, 63kgs final.
In a semi-final of the Junior 1, 57kgs division, Fionnan Rogers from Dungloe defeated beat Seanna Jackson of Dunfanaghy. Rogers will take on Raphoe ABC’s Oisin McHugh in the final to be staged in Letterkenny on Thursday night.
Also on Thursday night, in Derry, Andrew Cunningham from Carndonagh squares up to St John’s Eoin Quinn in the Boy 4, 48kgs final.
There will be 28 Ulster finals next Sunday up in 2000 Centre in Newtownstewart.
Eight boxers from Donegal were also crowned North-West Zones champions yesterday via walkover wins: Patrick McShane (Letterkenny), Jesse Clarke-Callaghan (Illies), Barry Donnelly (Carrigart), Justin Nelson (Carndonagh), Tiarnan Ming (Illies), Tom Doherty (Raphoe), Sean Kelly (Dunfanaghy), EJ Gibbons (Illies) and James Devlin (Carndonagh)
Semi-Finals
Junior 1, 57kgs Fionnan Rogers (Dungloe) beat Seanna Jackson (Dunfanaghy) 5-0
Junior 2, 70kgs William J Callaghan (Carndonagh) lost to Jack Doherty (St Joseph’s) 0-5
Finals
Boy 4, 39kgs Shay Neeson (Moneyglass) beat Michael Connor (Letterkenny) 4-1
Boy 4, 42kgs Joe Harkin (Letterkenny) beat Adam Hall (Dunfanaghy) 4-1
Boy 4, 50kgs Joseph Burke (St Canice’s) beat Owen Ward (Letterkenny) 5-0
Boy 4, 54kgs Liam McMonagle (Raphoe) beat Shane Stokes (St John’s) 5-0
Boy 4, 60kgs Corey McLaughlin (Errigal) beat Michael O’Donnell (Letterkenny) RSC3
Junior 1, 48kgs Eoin McGarrell (Raphoe) beat Darius Parke (St John’s) 5-0
Junior 1, 50kgs Ross Henderson (Coleraine) beat Adam Wetherall (Star of the Sea) RSC1
Junior 1, 63kgs Eoin McLaughlin (Maydown Olympic) beat Kai Weir (Finn Valley) 5-0
Junior 1, 66kgs Oisin Devlin (Carndonagh) beat Hugh Doherty (St Brigid’s) RSC 2
Junior 2, 66kgs Sean Donaghey (St Canice’s) beat Gareth Brown (Springtown) RSC1
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