GERARD FRENCH advanced to Tuesday’s semi-finals of the middleweight category in the Ulster Elite Championships with a shoot-out win over Daniel Anderson in their quarter-final at The Dockworkers’ Social Club on Monday.
The Clonard man enjoyed a telling height and reach advantage in this bout and it told as he was able to catch Anderson on the way in each time the Dockers man tried to close the gap. A right hand opened a cut over Anderson’s eye in the third as French began to thud home left and right hooks.
There was only one winner in the end and it was the west Belfast man, who advanced to meet Newry’s Connor Wallace in tonight’s second semi-final.
“I have a tough semi-final against Connor Wallace who won the intermediate championships,” said French after his win.
“That was my first-ever senior fight tonight and I could feel the difference without the headgear so I’m glad to get the win. Hopefully I can put in another good performance and get to the final.”
This semi-final will follow tonight’s other middleweight contest between Connor Coyle and Fearghus Quinn (see Seconds Out P62), with these bouts the only two scheduled at The Dockers on Tuesday.
There were three semi-finals down for decision on Monday night.
Mark McLaughlin advanced into the lightweight final with a split decision win over Seamus Og Deeds. McLaughlin was at a size disadvantage but his aggressive, southpaw style helped him to get inside and trade shots.
Deeds was having joy in this bout with some good counters, but it was McLaughlin who was doing the better work, throwing combinations up close and looking for the uppercut regularly and he did enough to have his hand raised.
JP Delaney was a popular winner on the night as his large support roared him to a unanimous decision win over Carrickmore’s Michael Cummings in their light-heavyweight semi-final. The Emerald man was just too slick for his Tyrone opponent as his straight lefts from the southpaw stance found the range to score.
Delaney made Cummings pay for dropping his guard while his footwork also helped him evade any counters from his bigger opponent. As this bout wore on, the west Belfast man grew stronger with a left in the second rocking Cummings, who was unable to really get a grip on the eventual winner, who advances into Thursday’s final.
The final bout of the night saw heavyweights Damien O’Hagan and Damien Ramsay serve up an interesting battle, with Bishop Kelly’s O’Hagan doing enough to advance. Both men traded jabs in the first, but as the fight wore on, O’Hagan was able to bring his right into play and had built an unassailable lead going into the final round,
Ligoniel’s Ramsay tried to turn it around in the third, but had given himself too much to do as the Tyrone man made the final.
“It was a bit of a spur of the moment thing (to enter). I was in the club the other morning and decided to weigh in for the hell of it because I had been training for the intermediates,” he revealed.
“I enjoyed it there even though it was a tough three rounds. This is my first senior final so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Tuesday’s boxing gets under way at 7.30pm
