FOR the second time this year, Louis Rooney edged an all-action battle of Belfast when getting the better of light-fly rival Padraig Downey in Friday night’s Irish elite final.
There was little to split the pair when they met in January’s Ulster elite decider and, but Star man Rooney was a clear winner this time after another engrossing clash with St John Bosco’s ‘Quiet Man’.
It caps a memorable month - a memorable first year in the elite ranks – for Rooney, as just last month a string of hugely impressive performances led him to the top of the podium at the European U22 Championships.
The 19-year-old has considerable pedigree, as the son of another legend from the north Belfast club, Jimbo Rooney – a four-time Irish champion in his pomp – and cousin of JP Hale, who competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and has already picked up four Ulster titles and an Irish elite crown.
“Louis was very controlled from the start, and followed the game-plan really well,” said Star coach Liam Corr.
“Louis is six-time Irish champion now, but the first five he won, bar the U22s, he didn’t get away with Ireland. The first two he was too light, then Covid came, then the issues with the IBA that saw Ireland boycott, so it hasn’t been without challenges to get here.
“He has shown a lot of resilience, and grown as the year has gone on. He’s listening to good people around him, there’s a great team at the club, and doing the extra one per cent stuff you need to do at that level.
“He’s a sponge too, and he’s been taking on advice from the likes of JP and Dylan Eagleson about international boxing, which has helped him when it comes to knowing a bit more about the dos and don’ts.”
There were also first Irish elites titles for Erne’s Rhys Owens, as well as Holy Trinity pair Clepson dos Santos and Jon McConnell.
Lightweight Owens produced arguably the performance of the night to get the better of Adam Hession while Dos Santos, who brought home bronze from the European U22s, added to his burgeoning reputation with a 4-0 victory over the experienced Ricky Nesbitt.
McConnell – after defeating Nesbitt’s Holy Family, Drogheda club-mate Eugene McKeever in the semi-final – edged a 3-2 split against Wayne Kelly to become Irish light-middleweight king.
Also on Friday, two-time Olympian Michaela Walsh made another piece of history when she became the first Irish boxer to win 12 national elite titles.
The Holy Family fighter who, alongside brother Aidan, became the first brother and sister to box at Commonwealth and Olympic Games, now has the Irish title record all to herself after surpassing double Olympic golden girl Kellie Harrington and Beijing 2008 silver medallist Kenny Egan.
And the 31-year-old did so by getting the better of Kelsey Leonard once more, having overcome Niamh Earley in a barnstorming featherweight semi-final two days before.
Fellow Paris Olympians Aoife O’Rourke and Jack Marley were also in action at the National Stadium on Friday, with Marley – later named male boxer of the tournament – taking a unanimous decision win over Esker’s Nathan Ojo while O’Rourke proved too strong for Castlebar’s Bethany Doocey.
Younger sister Lisa, a 2022 World champion, made it a double celebration after getting the better of Tiffany O’Reilly (Portlaoise).
Dublin’s Kellie McLoughlin picked up the female boxer of the tournament award thanks to a classy display in beating Zara Breslin, while there was another Irish title for Waterford’s Kelyn Cassidy at light-heavy.
In the clash of the big boys, the last of the evening, Galway’s Martin McDonagh retained his title following a bruising contest against Godstime Ide.
It wasn’t to be for Immaculata’s 2022 European silver medallist Caitlin Fryers, however, as she lost a close contest against reigning continental queen Shannon Sweeney, while rangy Gavin Ryan got the better of Rathfriland’s Donagh Keary at 57kg.
Results
48kg: C Walsh (Smithfield, Dublin) bt C Daly (Crumlin) 4-1
48kg: L Rooney (Star) bt P Downey (St John Bosco) 5-0
50kg: S Sweeney (St Anne’s) bt C Fryers (Immaculata) 5-0
51kg: C dos Santos (Holy Trinity) bt R Nesbitt (Holy Family, L) 4-0
52kg: A Byrne (Arklow) bt S Blaney (Navan) 5-0
54kg: C Gabriel (Dublin Docklands) bt R Kelly (Ballynacargy) 5-0
54kg: P Joyce (Olympic L) W/O
57kg: M Walsh (Holy Family, B) bt K Leonard (Unit 3) 5-0
57kg: G Ryan (Ratoath) bt D Keary (Rathfriland) 5-0
60kg: K McLoughlin (St Catherine’s) bt Z Breslin (Tramore) 5-0
60kg: R Owens (Erne) bt A Hession (Monivea) 5-0
63kg: L Desmond (Rylane) bt Z McCaughran (Evolution) RSC1
63.5kg: J Nevin (Olympic Mullingar) bt R Colgan (Avona) 3-2
66kg: G Walsh (St Mary’s, D) W/O
67kg: D O’Connor (Olympic, C) bt M Davis (Monkstown, D) 5-0
70kg: L O’Rourke (Castlerea) bt T O’Reilly (Portlaoise) 5-0
71kg: J McConnell (Holy Trinity) bt W Kelly (Ballynacargy) 3-2
75kg: A O’Rourke (Castlerea) bt B Doocey (Castlebar) 5-0
75kg: G Rafferty (Dublin Docklands) W/O
80kg: K Cassidy (Savours Crystal) bt J Whelan (Dublin Docklands) 5-0
81kg: M Kelly (Sacred Heart, L) bt S Kearney (Bunclody) 3-2
81+kg: J Bobbett (Liberty) bt D Tinnelly (Clann Naofa) 5-0
86kg: B Kennedy (St Brigid’s, Edenderry) bt R Collins-Murphy (St Monica’s) 4-1
92kg: J Marley (Monkstown, D) bt N Ojo (Esker) 5-0
92+kg M McDonagh (Galway) bt G Ide (Crumlin) 3-0
