Joyce return worth the weight after impressive victory in Cork

JOHN JOE JOYCE impressed on his move into the welterweight division when he outpointed Golden Gloves champion, Quintin Fortune of the NYPD, at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork on Saturday night, where a Garda/Rylane Boxing Club selection hosted team from the New York Police Department at a sell-out dinner show.

The Beijing Olympian came away from a four-month lay-off and expressed delight moving up a division.

“I was struggling with 64kgs for a long time,” the Mullingar man admitted as he reflected on two big losses to Dublin light welterweight, Philip Sutcliffe in the past year.

“I am not taking anything away from Phil Sutcliffe, he was the better man on each occasion when he caught me with some big shots. But I had a problem making the weight since Beijing.

“I was hungry all the time – and I mean that in the real sense of the word – and I felt weak. It is not like me to go out like that because I can take a punch. I just felt weak all the time.”

However the move also places him in a dilemma as he is likely to come up against his best friend, St Michael’s clubmate Roy Sheahan, in his quest for the title when the national senior championships next year.

Sheahan, plagued by injuries to his left hand all year, was back to his best on Saturday night when he outpointed NPYD welterweight, Jamal Spence.

The former EU champion broke a bone in his hand twice this season. “I’m back in business. I have another fight in Athy on December 5 and then I box an England selection. I have another fight before the championships and that should finish my preparations.

“I am thrilled I boxed so well because I have been without a fight for so long. Myself and John Joe (Joyce) only got the call midweek. But we have been training with the High Performance squad in Dublin and we are getting into shape.”

Seanie Barrett (Rylane) came out of retirement to box a thrilling “no decision” contest with Joel Allen that brought the crowd to their feet. Barrett, who ended the Olympic dream of Francie Barrett when he claimed his second national title before the Sydney Games, resisted the invitation to box in one of the professional shows in Ireland. “It was great to hear the crowd behind you again but maybe as you get older you lose a bit of speed,” said Barrett. “But it felt good to be back.”

Tom Murray returned to the ring for an exhibition contest against Hector Lopez, a former Golden Gloves champion, and if it had gone to the judges he, too, would have got the decision at the end of thriller. Donal Óg O’Leary, brother of Cork footballer, Noel, put in a storming last round against Jamal Spence but went out on a points decision.