GARBHAN FRIEL continued his impressive return to boxing with an emphatic win over Conal Deeney from Carrickmore, County Tyrone, at The Clanree Hotel this evening.
Friel took a unanimous decision win over Deeney in a heavyweight contest, one of six supporting bouts to a bumper tournament at the Clanree between Donegal and Boston Boxing Academy.
Picture: Garbhan Friel in action against Conal Deeney. Picture by Geraldine Diver.
Friel, a son of Illies Golden Gloves Head Coach Stephen Friel – a coach to the Northern Ireland team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – has been catching the eye since stepping back through the ropes again.
Friel has played for Institute and Finn Harps in recent seasons, but having returned to his native Cockhill Celtic this winter, he took the chance to get back in the ring.
He announced his return with a win over Gary Canning of Carrigart at the Illies club tournament at the Halfway House in Burnfoot, but it was his winning of the Ulster Novice Intermediate title that confirmed that he’d found his groove on the canvas again.
Friel took victory in the heavyweight division with an impressive and dominant display against Scott Stevenson from Bangor’s Abbey BC.
Against Deeney this evening, Friel started on the front foot and never looked back.
One of Friel’s qualities his his useful long jab and was content to do most of his best work here at distance, but there were time, too, when Friel, powered in at close range.
Deeney did catch Friel with a neat left in the third stanz, but by then Friel had long since done enough, as the three 30-27 verdicts on the cards showed.
Illies Golden Gloves’ light-flyweight Darryl Moran lost out to Terry McEntee from Monaghan’s Old School. Six-time Irish champion Moran gave a gutsy display, but the scoring went the way of the Monaghan man.
Cillin Boyce of Letterkenny ABC defeated Raphoe’s Dennis Lafferty thanks to a rugged display in their 64kgs contest.
David Tennyson from Dungloe had the edge on Carrigart’s Gary Cannon and, in a pulsating 80kgs contest, Illies’ Brian Elliot out-pointed Old School’s Conor Gleeson, who was given two public warnings.
SUPPORT BOUTS
Elite 52kgs   Darryl Moran (Illies Golden Gloves) lost to Terry McEntee (Old School, Monaghan) 0-3
Intermediate 64kgs           Cillin Boyce (Letterkenny BC) beat 3-0 Dennis Lafferty (Raphoe)
Intermediate 84kgs           David Tennyson (Dungloe) beat Gary Cannon (Carrigart) 2-1
Intermediate 71gs  Dean Doherty (Carndonagh) lost to Paddy McGee (Carrickmore) 0-3
Intermediate 67kgs           Brian Elliott (Raphoe) beat Conor Gleeson (Old School, Monaghan) 2-1
Intermediate 81kgs           Garbhan Friel (Illies Golden Gloves) beat Conal Deeney (Carrickmore) 3-0
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