McGuigan jnr goes for glory
Saturday, April 12, 2008
There was a familiar face at the Dockers Club today as Barry McGuigan
watched son Shane weighing in for the VIS Ulster senior championships.
The championships start on Tuesday night and McGuigan jnr, making his Ulster
seniors debut, will take on Terence Garland of Holy Trinity in the
welterweight quarter-finals.
McGuigan, who is boxing for the Clones club though he is based at Aylesham
near Canterbury, has won 13 of his 14 contests.
The welterweight division is certainly one of the most competitive this year
and overall the championships have a very fresh and exciting look to them.
Two champions have already been declared as 2008 Olympian light-flyweight
Paddy Barnes and super-heavyweight Cathal McMonagle have walkovers.
But unlike in recent years there is only one straight final with Ryan
Lindberg aiming for a third straight bantamweight title when he meets Tyrone
McCullough of Illies in Thursday week's finals at the Andersonstown Leisure
Centre.
Marc McCullough of Cairn Lodge lost out last year to Lindberg but this time
he has moved up to featherweight.
McCullough can expect an immediate tough test from Gleann's Paul Hyland who
doesn't take a backward step.
The other 57kg quarter-final will see an all-Oliver Plunkett affair with
Eamonn Finnegan facing Ulster Intermediate champion Tyrone McKenna.
McKenna, of 'The Mighty Celt' fame, says he is ready for the step up to
senior level.
"It's a big step but I believe I can handle it though I know I'm going
to be facing some tough guys," said McKenna.
The championships are on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday night at the Dockers
Club with boxing starting at 8pm.
Meanwhile, Ireland is celebrating five boxers heading to the Olympics after
Darren Sutherland, Ken Egan and John Joe Joyce joined Paddy Barnes and John
Joe Nevin on the plane to Beijing with tremendous semi-final victories at
the final qualifying event in Athens.
Sutherland booked his Beijing ticket when Victor Cotiujanschii, from
Moldova, retired with a facial injury in the third round. Sutherland was
21-7 up when Cotiujanschii retired.
Egan, who boxes out of the Neilstown club, followed that up with an
impressive 21-11 win over German light heavyweight Gottlieb Weiss.
"I had a great second round and I pushed on from there. It will take a
while for all this to sink in yet and I am absolutely thrilled with this win,
" said Egan.
Joyce of Athy qualified after defeating Germany's Sipiha Harun, 27-12.
"I would like to dedicate this victory to (Irish president and coach)
Dominic O'Rourke," said Joyce.
