‘Triple J’ overjoyed as national title secured

JOHN JOE JOYCE (St Michael’s, Athy) was celebrating his move up to welterweight with another national title at the National Stadium last night but the defending champion, Willie McLaughlin (Illies GG, Donegal), was scratching his head on the wrong side of a 12-9 verdict.

“This was better than the Olympics,” Joyce insisted. “I boxed in the Olympics and I did not feel half as good as I feel now. Last year I lost. I had weight problems – I was struggling with the weight – I had problems outside the ring and I had problems inside the ring and I did not enjoy it.

“I had the pressure of the Olympics and the Europeans hanging over me and then the weight problem. I just was not enjoying my boxing.

“I got beaten. I took my first break in five years, I got married, and then I got back to work.

“I was not an easy fight tonight. I was out on my feet at times but I felt I could beat anyone. It was all tight guard stuff and I don’t like it but it’s gotta be done. It was tough. He had a tight guard, he was throwing a lot of punches.”

The fans wanted to see Katie Taylor box and she provided them with a big performance against a game Ukrainian, Julia Tsyplakova, who won a silver medal at featherweight in the last European Championships.

For the record the double world champion – she was four times European champion, won the first round 2-0, the second 2-0 and third 5-1 and shared the fourth 1-1 en route to a comprehensive 10-2 victory.

Technically she was perfect, scoring with accurate jabs, hooks to the body and head but, all the time, Tsyplakova was coming forward, slipping punches and swinging with a big right hand.

“I don’t know if I am really happy with my performance,” Taylor said. “I felt a bit tired tonight – my legs were a bit tired. But then I haven’t boxed for a few months and I suppose I was just getting a bit of the ring rust out.

“Hopefully I will box here again tomorrow night. It would be good to box again tomorrow. It would be an extra fight.

“She had a very tight defence as well. It’s very hard to score points these days as well. You have to catch them clean.”

She said she has put her soccer career on hold until after the London Olympics at least.

“I have already told the manager, Noel King, that I am going to knock the football on the head for the next couple of years just to concentrate on the boxing,” she said.

“I miss it terribly. I miss meeting up with the squad and the girls. Even this year, all the matches will clash with a lot of the tournaments so either way I don’t think I would have been able to play.

“Maybe I can come back after the Olympics because I do miss it terribly. It was a great outlet for me.

“Next week I go to the Czech Republic for a multi-nations tournament. Myself and Sinead Kavanagh. I will be back a day or two and then I’ll be off to New York so it is going to be a busy few weeks.”

Then she heads off to New York at the invitation of President Obama for St Patrick’s Day. The invitation is understood to have come from the First Lady, Michelle Obama.

“Michelle Obama boxed and her father was a boxer as well,” she said. “She is interested in my story as well – my Dad is my coach too – so I am looking forward very much to meeting her. It is a great honour.”

This was Katie Taylor’s third time to box in the National Stadium in eight years and she won her first Irish title by walk over.

It was the 39th successive victory for the world and European champion, her 60th in 61 contests and 78th out of a total of 82 contests.

Earlier her Bray clubmate, Debbie Rogers, stopped Carlow flyweight, Rebecca Meaney (Tolerton) inside two rounds to claim the first national senior title of the night.

And Sinead Kavanagh (Drimnagh) who travels to the Czech Republic with Katie on Tuesday outpointed another Ukrainian, Tetyana Ivashenko in a close middleweight contest.

The scores were tied 10-10 at the end of the contest and when it went to count back it the fight was still tied at 21-21. The jury then gave it to Kavanagh 5-0.

Senior Men – Welterweight: J. J. Joyce (St. Michael’s, Athy) beat W. McLaughlin (Illies GG, Donegal) 12-9.

Middleweight: D. O’Neill (Paulstown) beat J. Quigley (Finn Valley) 6-1.

Women – Novice light flyweight: J. Harte (Four Corners, Roscommon) beat C. O’Grady (Clann Naofa, Louth) RSC Rd 3.

Senior Flyweight: D. Rogers (Bray) beat R. Meaney (Tolerton, Carlow) RSC Rd 2.

Senior Welterweight: K. Harrington (West Finglas) beat J. Lyons (St. Francis, Limerick) 10-2.

Special Lightweight: K. Taylor (Bray) beat J. Tsyplakova (Ukraine) 10-2.

Special Middleweight: S. Kavanagh (Drimnagh) beat T. Ivashenko (Ukraine) 5-0 (10-10 and 21-21 on countback).