Daniel Carey
JOHN Waldron from Ballyhaunis is the new Irish light-heavyweight boxing champion. The man nicknamed ‘The Warrior’ beat Limerick man Jamie Power 97-91 to capture the vacant belt in a bout which was the main support to Andy Lee’s meeting with Mamadou Thiam in the University of Limerick on Saturday night.
Waldron returned home to a hero’s welcome on Sunday, and was a worthy winner against the local favourite, whom he had been due to face last November before a broken nose forced a postponement.
“I was a 10/1 underdog, which in a two-horse race is unbelievable,” commented Waldron. “I always knew I had a chance … I trained hard – up to Dublin, down to Sligo, over to Kiltimagh and Roscommon. I was all over the country, and I was putting the road-work in.”
Waldron and his coach Phil Sutcliffe ‘took every round as a fight’, and was delighted that everything went according to plan.
“I’m not trying to be cocky, but I can honestly say he never really hurt me,” said the Mayoman. “He caught me with one shot in the fourth or fifth round, and that was the only shot that really troubled me. We had a game-plan – work behind the jab, work off the jab, uppercuts, hooks, everything, and it all came together on the night … After every round, I was growing in confidence, and I think the confidence was sapping out of him.”
Michael Sweeney from Ballinrobe had been due to face Ian Toms for the Irish cruiserweight title, but the Dubliner was forced to call off the bout. The man nicknamed ‘The Storm’ had a four-round points win over 36-year-old Tommy Tolan from Belfast, and is due to face Newton Kidd in Las Vegas in July.
Coyle takes silver medal
ANTHONY Coyle from Geesala brings home a silver medal from the President’s Cup in Azerbijan. Coyle, a member of a famous boxing family, lost 1-0 to Leonid Sinani of the Ukraine in Saturday’s 70kg final. The bout appeared to be heading for the dreaded count-back in Baku, but Sinani found the winning score in the final 20 seconds of the third and last round.
Coyle had beaten Mayilli Anvar (Uzbekistan) 2-0 in last Tuesday’s preliminary round, Russian Ali Guseynov 2-1 in Thursday’s quarter-final, and Russian Jamal Salavatov 4-0 in Friday’s semi-final.
Youth finals
A NUMBER of Mayo boxers will see action in next Friday’s National Youth Championship finals.
Tara Keane (St Anne’s, Westport) will meet Sarah Close (Abbey) in the Female 64kg decider, while three Geesala girls are also bidding for glory. Michelle Lynch meets Jade Corcoran (Crumlin), Katie Rowland takes on Gráinne Garvey (Dealgan) in the 50kg category, while Josephine Conroy meets Shauna Ward (Seán McDermott) at 52kg. Charlie Ward (St Patrick’s) has received a walkover in the 91kg category.
