‘Triple J’ closes on Euro goal after overpowering Sutcliffe

JOHN Joe Joyce moved within one bout of a place on the Irish team for next month’s European Championships in Liverpool following a convincing win over Philip Sutcliffe in the semi-finals of the Open Senior Competition at the National Stadium in Dublin on Saturday night.

Joyce, nicknamed Triple J, and the current Irish light welterweight champion and 2008 Olympian, beat the Crumlin man 30-12 to advance to next Friday’s finals.

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association are using the tournament as part of their selection process for the Merseyside continental deciders, which take place between November 5 and 15.

Reigning Irish senior heavyweight champion Con Sheehan of Clonmel was taken all the way down to the wire by Drimnagh’s Jimmy Sweeney in their bout on Saturday.

The Dubliner was one point up in this 91Kg showdown but a big right from Sheehan levelled the bout in the final three seconds of the fourth round before the Tipperary fighter won on countback.

Fergal Redmond beat Sean Hunt in the welterweight semis on Saturday. The Arklow man will now face Willie McLoughlin in next Friday’s 69Kg final after the Donegal ace outpointed battling Thomas Blaney.

Meanwhile, Eamon O’Kane needed a paper-thin 13-12 countback verdict to advance at the expense of Brian Brosnan, who was twice ahead by one point in the final 30 seconds of the fourth and final round.

Former Irish light flyweight champion Jimmy Moore came from behind before earning his win.The Limerick man was 3-1 down at the end of the first versus Derek McArdle but restored parity at 4-4 in the second before showing his class to take rounds three and four.

The Open Senior Competition will conclude with finals next Friday night at the National Stadium.

Friday’s deciders begin at 7.30pm. The weigh-in will be held between 8.30am and 9.30am at the National Stadium.

Meanwhile Paul and Patrick Hyland experienced mixed fortunes in Philadelphia on Saturday night with Patrick winning but Paul losing out on points to Lucian Gonzalez.

Undefeated Patrick, the reigning Irish featherweight champ, chalked up win number 15 after dropping Elvis Martinez twice in rounds one and two before the referee stepped in to save the Dominican Republic puncher in the second round.

But it proved to be unlucky 13 for Paul, the Irish super bantamweight champ, who lost the first fight of his career after being out-pointed by Lucian Gonzalez after their close four-round tussle.

Galway middleweight Simon “Slick” O’Donnell meanwhile, dropped Antonio Baker in round five to claim his seventh victory from eight outings.

The Dublin born Hyland brothers and O’Donnell were in action on the Kassim Ouma/Martinus Clay undercard at the US National Guard Armory — Ouma won after a sixth round stoppage.