Busy times for Ennis boxers

It’s a feast or famine for Clare boxers. Bereft of serious action since the Ennis BC anniversary show in October, the fighters will see action on the double this Friday and Saturday and this will embellish the action from last weekend’s tournament against a Galway selection.
All of the Ennis champions were in action last weekend but it was the lesser-known fighters who showed their mettle while their more illustrious clubmates and sparring partners tasted unlikely defeats.
Lee Sherlock, who excelled through last season, lost out to European silver medalist Jack Connolly from Clonmel by the narrowest of margins. He conceded after the fight that his slow start cost him dearly.
Sherlock admitted, “I paid him a little too much respect early on, boxing on the defensive for the first three minutes but when I realised that I was capable of mixing it with him and countering effectively, much of the initiative had passed me by”.
In fact Connolly was caught persistently by the Ennis fighter in the third and final round and the result could have gone either way in this thrilling encounter.
Fellow Irish champion Conor Doyle tasted his first defeat of his career at the hands of St Francis fighter Clive O’Mara when he was strangely inept in contrast to his characteristic all-action strategy of previous fights.
He too was full of praise for his opponent but relishes the prospect of another shot at O’Mara when they will clash in Friday night’s Limerick versus Clare match for the Cecil Campbell Trophy at the Ennis Community Centre 7pm.
The Galway-Ennis match on Saturday last at the Ennis venue provided plenty of action for the near capacity crowd and finished 7-7 for the second year in succession.
There were powerful displays from brothers Simon and Jim McDonagh and a bonus victory for their younger sibling Thomas, who surprised all and sundry with his victory over Brandon Woods from Olympic.
Davy Keenan and Tom Doherty (both 36kg) kept up the momentum with fine victories over the Delaney brothers, Paddy and Jamie respectively, but former Ennis boxer Michael ‘Boy’ Delaney brought victory to the Galway side with a fine win over a battling Cathal Darcy. Darcy was one of two brothers on the Ennis side and having conceded the first round, he fought back magnificently in the second and third and lost out by a single point in the finish to Delaney’s southpaw expertise.
There was a major upset in the 63kg division when Brian McDonagh suffered his first defeat of the year, having excelled in capturing the 60kg Irish title in April. He found the aggression of Frankie Donovan a little difficult to cope with and was off target with his own left jab.
64kg debutant Rhys Doyle came good in the final contest of the evening to give the Ennis side a share of the spoils. Doyle’s long range punching was emphatic and he frustrated the onrushing Mike McCarthy whose overhand rights spelt danger all through.
A draw in the end was a fair result and the aforementioned Simon McDonagh and European silver medallist James Cleary from Olympic were awarded best boxer awards for their thrilling four round exhibition which kept the crowd on their feet all through.
St Ann’s BC from Westport will be the opposition for Saturday’s tournament in the community centre and there are 15 contests on the bill which will get under way at 2pm.