Clare boxers to compete in Munster competition

THE Munster Juvenile Boxing Championships for competitors aged 11 to 14 years old will be held this weekend in Mitchelstown. While the Clare entry will not be as potent as the youths squad, which recently annexed two national titles, there is nonetheless talent and buoyancy in the county’s entry.
All of the fancied aspirants came through the Clare championships, which were staged in Ennis on Friday last and coaches Danny Fitzpatrick from the Ennis club and Pat McCormack from the Kilfenora stronghold have high hopes of victories.
Ennis boxers Keelan Sexton, Brian McDonagh, Jamie Keane and Pat McDonagh are strongly fancied by their mentors, while Shannon Murrihy and brothers Gary and Darren Ruane carry the Kilfenora pennant in a much-coveted championship race.
The prize will be provincial honours but will also carry passage to the national juvenile finals, which will be held in the National Stadium in Dublin during Easter week.
Paddy Donovan, who boxes out of the OLOL Club in Limerick and trains and spars in the Ennis club, has also come through the Limerick championships and is hotly tipped for a title in the 36kg boys class.
The Ennis boxers who will seek titles are:
Boy 1
33kg: Cathal Darcy
36kg: Jim McDonagh
44kg: Conor Doyle
52kg: Luke Carmody
63kg: Caimin Doyle.
Boy 2
36kg: Paul Flynn
39kg: Diarmuid O’Gorman
46kg: Mike McDonagh
54kg: Brian McDonagh
57kg: Michael Galbraith.
Girl 2
60kg: Tara Dowling.
Boy 3
70kg: Keelan Sexton
50kg: Jamie Keane.
Kilfenora will be represented by:
Boy 1, 36kg: Gary Ruane
Boy 3, 50kg: Darren Ruane
Girl 3, 50kg: Shannon Murrihy.
The weigh-in and draw will be held in Mitchelstown on Saturday morning and boxing will get underway at 1.30pm, continuing through Saturday night and Sunday. It is envisaged that the finals may well be contested the following weekend.