Sport

Seconds Out: Ulster elite finals night returns to Derry for first time since 2013

This year's Ulster Elite Championship finals will take place at Derry's Guildhall
This year's Ulster Elite Championship finals will take place at Derry's Guildhall This year's Ulster Elite Championship finals will take place at Derry's Guildhall

THIS year’s highly-anticipated Ulster Elite Championship finals are to take place at Derry’s Guildhall.

The venue has been no stranger to the noble art at times through the years, once hosting an amateur bout between Belfast’s future world bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough and rough, tough Arturo Gatti, who sadly passed away in 2009.

Fittingly, renowned Derry fight figure Charlie Nash also graced the Guildhall towards the end of his professional career, scoring wins over George Metcalf and Frank McCord in 1982 before bringing down the curtain a year later.

“It was a dream come true,” lightweight Nash later said.

And now a new generation of boxers will have the opportunity to strut their stuff there as finals night returns to Derry for the first time since 2013, when the Ulster Elite Championships formed part of the City of Culture celebrations.

Hometown favourite Connor Coyle, Joe Fitzpatrick, Sean Duffy and Steven Donnelly, who would all go on to medal at the following year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, all had their hands raised in Ebrington on a night to remember.

This time around the weigh-ins are scheduled for Sunday, December 4, with the preliminaries in Belfast the following week before the Ulster elite finals take place at the Guildhall on Friday, December 15.

And with Ulster Boxing Council president Kevin Duffy a native of the city, while his wife Sandra is the current mayor, bringing boxing back to Derry was an easy decision.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be able to host Ulster’s blue riband event,” said Duffy, who boxed alongside McCullough on that Ireland v Canada show three decades ago.

“It was fantastic nine years ago, the crowd turned out, and I’m sure it will be fantastic again. Historically in Derry, the Guildhall would have been the place for boxing – in many ways it’s our Ulster Hall, and it has seen some great nights.

“We were in the other day to do the walk-around and check out a few things, and we’re really looking forward to it. All we can hope now is it’s a competitive event and we have all our top athletes there.”

With what is expected to be one of the most hotly-contested Irish Elite Championships in years taking place a month after – they get under way on January 12 2023, with finals night at the National Stadium on January 21 - some of Ulster’s Olympic hopefuls will be aiming to lay down a marker before the big one in Dublin.

There is sure to be plenty of moving around weight classes as boxers work out the best way to try and reach Paris 2023, with next June’s European Games in Poland offering a first opportunity to secure qualification.

Meanwhile, some of those who will be shaping up for those Ulster and Irish Championships were in action at the prestigious Tammer Tournament in Finland at the weekend – with all three Irish boxers bringing home medals.

Unfortunately middleweight Jake Tucker had to withdraw due to sickness before the action got under way in Tampere, but there was silver for Eugene McKeever while JP Hale and Jude Gallagher finished up with bronze.

McKeever impressed in his semi-final bout, forcing a second round stoppage of Hong Kong’s Kin Ching Philp before coming up short against tricky Brazilian Yuri dos Rios in Sunday’s 67 kilo decider. As a reigning Ulster and Irish champion, he will have his sights set on defending both titles in the coming weeks.

Big-hitting Hale won his quarter-final bout - beating England’s Patris Mulghalzai on a 4-1 split decision - before coming unstuck against Moroccan Olympian Abdelhaq Nadir in the last four, while Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gallagher was forced out of his semi-final.

The Newtownstewart ace overcame Cape Verde’s tough Wilson Semedo on Friday but a hand injury led to Gallagher withdrawing from a scheduled last four clash with Sweden’s Nebil Abraham.

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The late Harry Cunningham (centre) will be honoured when a memorial competition takes place in his name this weekend, as teams from Wales, Cyprus and Italy travel to Belfast
The late Harry Cunningham (centre) will be honoured when a memorial competition takes place in his name this weekend, as teams from Wales, Cyprus and Italy travel to Belfast The late Harry Cunningham (centre) will be honoured when a memorial competition takes place in his name this weekend, as teams from Wales, Cyprus and Italy travel to Belfast

TOURNAMENT HELD IN HONOUR OF STALWART CUNNINGHAM

THE contribution of a stalwart of Ulster and Irish boxing will be recognised when the Harry Cunningham Memorial Cup takes place in Belfast this weekend.

Saints coach and Antrim County Board vice-president Harry Cunningham - who passed away in October 2020 - was responsible for some of the country’s top boxers enjoying their first taste of international competition in a yellow vest during a long involvement with the sport at grassroots level.

His absence has been felt in the time between, and now the County Antrim Board, through the Belfast Boxing Strategy, has organised a memorial competition against fighters from Wales, Cyprus and Italy.

Friday’s action takes place at Belfast’s Beechlawn Hotel, while Saturday’s fight night showcasing some top local talent will be held at the Corpus Christi Boxing Club.

And County Antrim Board president Paddy Barnes sr believes it is a fitting tribute to a man who placed such a prominent role through the decades.

“When we first started sending teams out a long time ago, Harry was the man who was asked to look after it, and he did.

“Harry had contacts all over Europe. We ended up in Paris, Barcelona, Poland, England, Cyprus… that was then reciprocated by teams coming over here.

“The aim was always to give the young boxers who maybe weren’t getting away with Ulster or Ireland the chance to travel and box - to get the experience that helps take them to the next level.

“A lot of them have since gone on to be internationals, professionals, Olympians, and you have to put a lot of that down to what they experienced coming through. It’s not just boxers either, but referees are getting that experience too.

“So we wanted to build on the legacy Harry left, and having an annual competition for youth boxers in his memory is a good way to do it.”

SCHEDULE

Friday (Beechlawn Hotel, 6pm)

Jnr 46kg: F Lyttle (Holy Family) v S Fusco (Italy); Jnr 48kg: C Fegan (Holy Trinity) v M Gavrilov (Cyprus); Jnr 50kg: M Browne (Emerald) v R Singh (Wales); Jnr 52kg: J Graham (Clonard) v H Janes (Wales); Jnr 54kg: J Kelly (Holy Trinity) v N Kambourakis (Cyprus); Jnr 54kg: H Masterson (Clonard) v F Willmott (Wales); Jnr 57kg: C Carragher (Tredagh) v M O'Sullivan (Wales); Jnr 57kg: F Gillen (Sacred Heart) v R Zouaui (Italy); Jnr 57kg: O Clancy (Rathfriland) v M Jovanovic (Italy); Jnr 60kg: J Doherty (Holy Trinity) v A Lewis (Wales);

Jnr 63kg: T Nolan (Cherry Orchard) v K Powell (Wales); Jnr 66kg: A Ritchie (All Saints) v M Lloyd (Wales); Youth 54kg: A Genocky (Docklands) v C Jones (Wales); Youth 57kg: D Keary (Rathfriland) v J Williams (Wales); Youth 60kg: C Taylor (Oliver Plunkett) v M Kazantzian (Cyprus); Youth 60kg: J Nevin (Olympic, Mullingar) v A Hergarty (Wales); Youth 63.5kg: B McComiskey (Gilford) v D Capolungo (Italy); Youth 67kg: D O’Hara (St John Bosco) v G Hrustic (Italy); Youth 67kg: G Richmond (Cairn Lodge) v C Rees (Wales); Youth 71kg: E O’Donnell (East Down) v C Vasiliou (Cyprus); Snr 86kg: C Maguire (Dockers) v M Giampa (Italy)

Saturday (Corpus Christi BC, 6pm)

Jnr 46kg: C Fegan (Holy Trinity) v S Fusco (Italy); Jnr 48kg: D O Reilly (Kronk) v M Gavrilov (Cyprus); Jnr 50kg: B Walsh (Holy Family) v R Singh (Wales); Jnr 52kg: A Scott (Glengormley) v H Janes (Wales); Jnr 54kg: C Curley (Holy Trinity) v N Kambourakis (Cyprus); Jnr 54kg: A Dougan (Armagh) v F Willmott (Wales); Jnr 57kg: C Burns (Holy Trinity) v M O'Sullivan (Wales); Jnr 57kg: R Mitchell (Scorpion) v R Zouaui (Italy); Jnr 57kg: W McCarthy (St Michael’s, Athy) v M Jovanovic (Italy); Jnr 60kg: D O’Reilly (St Michael’s, Athy) v A Lewis (Wales); Jnr 63kg: C O Neill (Scorpion) v K Powell (Wales); Jnr 66kg: L Grant (Rathfriland) v M Lloyd (Wales); Youth 54kg: M McDonagh (Avona) v C Jones (Wales); Youth 57kg: C Walsh (Gleann) v J Williams (Wales); Youth 60kg: J Nevin Olympic (Mullingar) v M Kazantzian (Cyprus); Youth 60kg: C Taylor (Oliver Plunkett) v A Hergarty (Wales); Youth 63.5kg: C Braniff (Holy Trinity) v D Capolungo (Italy); Youth 67kg: G Richmond (Cairn Lodge) v G Hrustic (Italy); Youth 67kg: D O Hara (St John Bosco) v C Rees (Wales); Youth 71kg: D Ramsey (Emerald) v C Vasiliou (Cyprus); Snr 86kg: T Seaton (Ormeau Road) v M Giampa (Italy)