Barrett tops bill as heavyweights muscle in at Macroom tournament

RYLANE Boxing Club will feature five heavyweights on the bill for its second tournament at the Riverside Park Hotel, Macroom, tomorrow night, and six members of the Irish Garda and Firemen’s team for the world championships in Australia will be in action.

Topping the bill will be their former national intermediate light welterweight champion, David Barrett, who will box current champion Ian Roche, from Wexford, a member of the Garda team.

After winning the national intermediate light welterweight title two years ago, Barrett, from Millstreet, a younger brother of former national senior welterweight champion Seanie, did not return to action until late this season and missed a crack at the seniors. But he has done enough to indicate he will be a contender next season and can underscore that fact with another win.

One would have to travel a long way to see five heavyweight contests on the same bill and, in one of tomorrow night’s specials, Mike Fouhy (St. Colman’s), faces an interesting challenger in Marvin Lee, who won a world Police and Firemen’s gold medal at light heavyweight in Canada a couple of years ago.

Fouhy, who made his international debut in the big multi-nations tournament in Ballybunion in 2005, has had a couple of wins in recent weeks — his latest against an English opponent at the St. Colman’s tournament in Youghal last Friday night — and will be a tough opponent for Lee who was beaten in two national senior finals by Ireland’s current European bronze medallist Kenneth Egan.

Tom Murray (Rylane) will step back up to the heavyweight division to box Wexford garda Niall Kennedy, this year’s national intermediate champion. Murray, had just come back out of retirement when he won as a guest for the Garda team that beat the NYPD in Cork a couple of years ago.

Josh McCarthy, also from Rylane, will get his chance against Donal Barrett, the Galway heavyweight who is stationed in Dublin, after missing out two weeks ago when Barrett failed to make it to Macroom as a result of travel difficulties.

Another who missed out that night, Donal Og O’Leary, will be in action against Niall Healy from Bantry, while his clubmate John Murray meets Cavan fireman John Mitchell.

Eamonn McDonnell, of the Garda team, will meet Cathal Barry from the Dungarvan club, while UCC heavyweight Eamonn Higgins and Trevor Holden (Leeside/Lough) will provide an exciting pairing.

Down the weights, there are some promising contests. Cian Lawlor (Rylane) meets Jarlath Cox (UCC) at welterweight, while the junior featherweight contest involving Stephen Dowdall (Rylane) and Sean Curley (St. Colman’s) will be close.

Conor O’Sullivan (Macroom) will give the locals plenty to enthuse over when he takes on Daragh Power (Dungarvan) in one of two promising youths’ contest. The other will be between Dean Desmond (Rylane) and Corey Moloney (St. Colman’s) who are scheduled to meet in the finals of the county championships.

At junior level, Stephen Dowdall (Rylane) will box Sean Curley (St. Colman’s), while juveniles Pat Fitzgibbon (Rylane) v Michael McDonagh (Dungarvan), Owen Dennehy (Rylane) v John Walsh (Dungarvan) and Dillon Keller (Rylane) v Scott O’Keeffe (Leeside/Lough) promise plenty entertainment.