Three years and three days on from the contentious judges’ decision that encouraged Noel Murphy to abandon his amateur career, the Cork welterweight hopes to make a victorious return to the National Stadium tonight.

Mayfield teenager Thomas McCarthy has promised to learn from his first National Elite Championship final bout and “be back better”, while Rio Olympian Brendan Irvine has backed head coach Zaur Antia to get Irish boxing back on track.

Joe Ward last night hailed his first Irish title win since 2014 as the start of his journey back to international success.

Myles Casey is hoping follow the lead of his brother Willie by making a ‘big bang’ after moving up in weight and booking his place in the National Elite Championship bantamweight final tomorrow.