McDonagh tops all-star bill at Mahon memorial

ARTHUR McDONAGH will top the bill when Fermoy ABC honour the memory of their late president and founder-member John Mahon with a special memorial boxing tournament at St Coleman’s Sports Hall on Sunday (3pm).

The club, under Pa Flynn, will be staging the tournament for the second time to honour John, who gave a lifetime of service to boxing at local, national and international levels.

McDonagh was one of the boxers he groomed for stardom. A three-time national champion, he also won a four nations tournament and will have an interesting opponent tomorrow in three times national champion from the St Francis Club in Limerick, Fintan Walsh.

Katie Taylor, the world and European champion, is leaving a training camp in Norway specially to be guest of honour at the show.

A number of members of her club, St Fergal’s in Bray, will be taking part. The tournament features two heavyweight contests, Jamie Power (St Francis) v Michael O’Grady (Galway) at senior level and Niall Healy (Bantry) v Cathal Barry (Dungarvan) at intermediate level.

Patrick A Ward, from Galway, winner of eight national titles, will meet Mark McNamara (St Francis, Limerick) in a senior welterweight contest at the top of a 12-bout card.

Dungarvan boxing club are preparing for the annual “Peter Crotty Memorial Tournament” in memory of the late 1952 Helsinki Olympian at Lawlor's Hotel next Saturday. This year’s opponents will be Birmingham City Boxing Club. Up an coming heavyweight Cathal Barry, who has won his last six bouts will be on that particular bill, taking on Lee Gibbs from Birmingham. The World Silver Medallist Gamal Yafai from Birmingham will box Charley Heggarty from Golden Cobra Dublin.

There will be a rematch from last year’s female international between Tina Odell from Birmingham and Christina O’Reilly from Castleblaney. On the last occasion O’Reilly, who recently won a world title in kick boxing, snatched the verdict.