Illies Golden Gloves’ Cathal Brown won his second Ulster Senior title tonight in Belfast.
By Chris McNulty, ringside at The Dockers Club
Brown defeated Cavan’s Thomas Maughan in the heavyweight final at the Dockers Club.
Last year Brown overcame Noel Donnelly from the Dockers club to win the light-heavyweight crown and, up a weight this time around, Brown dug deep in the trenches to pull this one out of the fire.
Brown took a 4-1 decision from the judges at ringside, who’d clearly been taken by his greater work between the ropes.
There were times when it seemed as if the call would be closer when the sums were totted, but it was delight for Brown once more in Sailortown.
The two felt there way into the opening round with Brown looking to lay down a marker with a big shot. Brown did manage to land an explosive right that served to bring Maughan to action.
A sharp left to the Cavan man’s temple sent them to the stools at the end of the opening round with Brown’s corner the happier.
Brown’s energy sapped in the second round, when Maughan was ticked off for the use of an elbow, but the Illies man cracked another belter onto Maughan at the close of the second.
The third was a battle, but it was Brown who made the hay.
Backed by a raucous support at ringside, Brown managed to find the gears again.
Energised once more, Brown landed a couple of combinations to finish well and it struck a chord with the score keepers.
There was no joy for Illies colleague Michael McConigley, who was stopped in the second round of the super-heavyweight by the powerful Patrick Rodgers from St Johns.
McConigley overcame Belfast’s David Ferrin last night in the semi-final, but Rodgers had too much in the locker for the Letterkenny native in the final.
Raphoe ABC’s Dennis Lafferty lost out to Holy Family’s Ryan Lavery.
Last year, Lafferty was beaten by Conor Quinn from Clonard in the bantamweight final. Unbowed, the Ballindrait bomber returned on a mission and overcame Derek Kerr from Monkstown in Tuesday’s semi-final.
Lavery had a clear height and reach advantage on the diminutive Lafferty and the Belfast man was on top from early on.
Lafferty was unable to get in close, as he would have wanted, and Lavery took a command of the bout in the early blows.
Dennis Lafferty with Raphoe ABC head coach Gary McCullagh
A fire cracking right hand from Lavery rocked Lafferty back on his heels midway through the second round and it appeared a damaged limitations exercise by that point.
The far-reaching Lavery was able to keep Lafferty at bay and, with just seconds left in the contest, referee Aideen Floyd stepped in to give Lafferty a count. There was no shame in losing to Lavery, who won the Boxer of the Tournament award.
The compact and homely Dockers Club on the city’s Pilot Street was bought in the late 70s, with the idea that the shipbuilders and workers on the famous docks would have a base in which to socialise.
The iconic hall was built in just eight weeks by the dockers themselves and history hangs off its every wall.
Its atmosphere see was aided with Dockers puncher Donnelly edging Gallbally’s Tom Kearney in a pulsating middleweight contest and their own Eraid Muhid
In the Ulster Novice welterweight final, Letterkenny ABC’s Shaun Devine was beaten by Carrickmacross southpaw Kyle Carey.
Devine found himself on the back foot from the opening round, as Carey caught the Cathedral Town man twice with a left-right combination.
Devine gallantly responded, but it was a similar tale in the second round, where Carey’s stinging volley at the end of the round left a mark with the arbitrators at ringside.
As Carey tired in the second round, Devine did get a chance to respond, but it was Carey who took a unanimous decision.
Ulster Senior Open Finals
56kgs Kane Marshall (Emerald) lost to Conor Kerr (Monkstown) 0-5
60kgs Ryan Lavery (Holy Family) beat Dennis Lafferty (Raphoe) 5-0
69kgs Shane Murphy (Carrickmore) lost to Tom Stokes (Oakleaf) 0-5
64kgs Andrew Ryan (Loughshore) lost to Corai Madden (Star) RSC2
75kgs Tom Kearney (Gallbally) lost to Noel Donnelly (Dockers) 2-3
81kgs Michael Erpelding (Holy Family) beat Conal Deeney (Carrickmore) 3-2
91kgs Cathal Brown (Illies) beat Thomas Maughan (Cavan) 4-1
91+kgs Patrick Rodgers (St John’s) beat Michael McConigley (Illies) RSC2
Ulster Novice Finals (0-5 contests)
64kgs Tim Burns (Canal) beat John McKeever (St Agnes) RSC2
69kgs Kyle Carey (Carrickmacross) beat Shaun Devine (Letterkenny) 5-0
75kgs Sean Donnelly (Loughshore) lost to Christopher Ireland (Larne) 2-3
81kgs Darren McNally (Clone) beat Jack Wilson (St John Bosco Belfast)3-2
91kgs Ronnie McDowell (Evolution) beat Robbie White (Star) RSC3
91+kgs Jack Cooley (Saints) lost to Thomas Dundan (St John Bosco Belfast) Tko1
Ulster Novice Finals (6-10 contests)
64kgs Martin Tolan (Glengormley) beat Joe Gannon (Derrylin) 3-2
69kgs Leon Mooney (Virginia) lost to Lex Weston (North Down) 1-4
75kgs Eraid Muhid (Dockers) beat Patrick Zarzecki (Dungannon) RSC2
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