Third-round rally not enough for Danagher

THERE was little time for rest for Clare boxers over the Christmas and it was business as usual with tournaments and championships pending for Ennis and Kilfenora clubs.
Ennis middleweight, Wayne Danagher, and light-welter, Lee Sherlock were entered in the Open Youths Championships (16 and 17-year age group) in the National Stadium in Dublin on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of last week. While Danagher gave two stirring performances to reach the semi-final stages, Sherlock was laid low with a throat infection and failed to make it to the scales.
Danagher, holder of two Munster titles from 2009 and 2010, has been showing good form in recent bouts and was impressive in his quarter-final battle with Dubliner Eoin Bermingham from the Glasnevin Club on Friday night. In a bout buzzing with action from the opening bell, the tall Dubliner sought to keep Danagher at bay with accurate left jabs and was looking good through the second round. However, the Ennis boxer upped the ante in the third and final round and nailed Bermingham with a powerful left hook to the chin for an impressive inside the distance victory.
Danagher was to find the southpaw aggression of Geoffrey Kavanagh (Corinthians) formidable in the early rounds of his semi-final and took an early standing count to leave him 17-8 in arrears at the end of the second.
He came to life in the third round, however, and found his range on Kavanagh to inflict some heavy punishment opening a nasty cut on the Dubliner’s left eye and managing to win the round 10-7. It was too little too late and it was Kavanagh who advanced to the final on a 24-18 scoreline.
Danagher will have learned much from his first 3 X 3 minute championship efforts and is confident he can up the ante in the forthcoming National Junior Championships in April, with coach Sean Carrig delighted with his charge’s gutsy performances.
Ennis officials Sean Carrig and Tommy Lyons were on duty for the championships, refereeing and judging for all of the three days.
Meanwhile, Ennis boxers will travel to Westport on Sunday afternoon for an open tournament with the local St Anne’s club and it is anticipated there will be 15 contests on the day.