Fearless Tredagh boxer scoops Leinster crown

Tredagh Boxing Club in Aston Village was well represented at the recent Leinster Boxing Championships which was held at the Ryston club in Kildare. Jerry Mc Donagh entered the Boy 1 – 33 kg divisiontaking on Callum Maher from Ballynacargy Boxing Club in Westmeath. Both boys were evenly matched and Jerry appeared to win the first round. However, Maher fought his way back into the fight to edge the next two rounds and take the decision of the judges. Despite the defeat it was great experience for Jerry in his first Leinster Championships. Eoin ‘Fearless’ Finglas entered the Boy 3 – 65 kg Championships and took on John Mc Donagh from Navan Boxing Club in teh final. Mc Donagh was a formidable opponent being a former Leinster Champion and All Ireland finalist. Eoin reached last year’s Leinster final losing out on a close 3-2 split decision and the clash had all the makings of an exciting final. ‘Fearless’ took a large crowd of supporters to the finals with clubmates, friends and family descending on the Newbridge venue. The opening bell saw the strong Mc Donagh come forward and push Eoin backwards, but ‘Fearless’ didn’t panic and used his counter-punching boxing skills to keep out of trouble in the opening half of the round. Eoin’s fast counter-punching and quarter turning gave him the momentum mid-way through the round which allowed him to take control of the ring. The final 30 seconds of the round saw ‘Fearless’ become the aggressor and he landed some heavy right hand crosses which kept Mc Donagh on the back foot in a close tactical round. The second round saw Mc Donagh press forward once again from the bell and on this occasion ‘Fearless’ met him head on. ‘Fearless’ landed the heavier of the exchanges which forced Mc Donagh onto the back foot which he followed up with swift combinations while landing a heavy right uppercut. But Mc Donagh continued to press forward only to be met with heavy combinations while ‘Fearless’ changed his angles and worked the body and head to great effect until the end of the round. The final round saw Mc Donagh more cautious at the beginning of the round and ‘Fearless’ continued to catch him with fast menacing combinations. Mc Donagh had some success with the lead jab in the middle of the round. The final 30 seconds of the round saw the hungry ‘Fearless’ press forward and landed some fantastic right hooks and punish his opponent to the body in the up close encounters. In the final 10 seconds ‘Fearless’ pinned his opponent in his own corner landed some heavy combinations which had the referee looking closely at the former champ. The final decision saw Eoin ‘Fearless’ Finglas’s hand raised and crowned the 2017 Leinster Champion by a unanimous decision on all five judges cards. The large crowd following ‘Fearless’ showed their appreciation for a fantastic display of boxing. The St. Joseph’s CBS first year student will now go on to represent Tredagh Boxing Club and be the Leinster representative at the All Ireland Boxing Championships in the coming weeks which will be held at the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin. Other Tredagh Boxers have been busy in recent weeks with Jordan ‘Tiger’ Carragher losing out in the Youth Leinster Championships on a very close decision to the eventual Leinster and All Ireland Champion Hughie Nevin (Portlaoise Boxing Club). Antony Canny, at 17 years old, lost a close decision in the semi finals of the All Ireland Senior Novice Championships held at the National Boxing Stadium to the eventual winner. Anthony gained invaluable experience starting out on his journey. There will be a number of the clubs girl boxers entering into the girls Leinster Boxing Championships coming up in Arklow over the coming weeks. Tredagh Boxing Club will also host another visiting club from England on Thursday 25th May. West Warrick’s Boxing Club from Birmingham will visit Drogheda for a tournament with Tredagh B.C. which will be held at Mc Hughes Function Room on the Cord Road for another fantastic night of international boxing.