Emphatic win keeps Egan on course
After dominating from the opening bell, the Beijing silver medallist was leading 24-9, forcing Frayne to take three standing counts, when the referee stepped the fight with 12 seconds remaining.
The Neilstown southpaw left nothing to chance. He impressed with accurate jabs delivered with pinpoint accuracy, setting Frayne up for big shots.
“I moved around nicely and used the ring well,” Egan said. “I caught him with some good shots but he’s a strong lad — I’ll give him that. It’s the first time I fought a fellow Dub since I beat Leon Senior in the semi-final seven years ago.”
The big one still awaits with reigning light heavyweight champion Joe Ward (Moate) ready to go into action. Ward, who is also the European champion, put paid to Egan’s bid for an 11th successive national senior title last year and gets his campaign under way in next weekend’s semi-finals against fellow Westmeath man Davey Joe Joyce, a former world junior bronze medallist, in a repeat of last year’s semi.
Joyce, from the Ballincargy club, beat Sean Allen (Arklow) 6-5 in his quarter final. Last year he was coming back from a prolonged hand injury when he touched gloves with Ward. He later went on to win the pre world championship box-off , beating Allen 17-3 in that final.
Egan meets Eamon Walsh (St. Anne’s, Westport) in his semi-final. He defeated world military championships silver medallist, Patrick O’Shea (Sunnyside) 16-9 in his quarter final.
Shock of the championships so far came when European light welterweight champion Ray Moylette was dumped out by 19 year-old Crumlin man Martin Wall.
Wall, who came to prominence at the national U21 championships last October when he beat Rohan Date (St. Paul’s, Waterford) 10-9 in the final, was always going to provide a problem for Moylette, a notoriously slow starter. Wall won the opening round 4-2 and the second 8-6 as the pace picked up and he proceeded to hold his own in an even third.
“Those were the tactics and they worked perfectly,” his coach, Phil Sutcliffe said. “We had a feeling he could beat him if everything went right. Martin has been in the club for five years and is still a work in progress. He trains hard, is very strong and might go all the way.”
If he goes all the way to the final his likely opponent will be defending champion Ross Hickey. The former European bronze medallist at lightweight was involved in another bruising battle with Wall’s clubmate Philip Sutcliffe in a repeat of last year’s final that again went to the Wicklow Army man.
Sutcliffe rocked the champion at the end of the first to tie the score at 5-5, but Hickey came back to win the second 7-5 and held the two point advantage at the end of an even third.
Darren O’Neill (Paulstown), with Olympic qualification secure, successfully launched his defence of his middleweight title when Stephen O’Reilly (Twintowns) was retired in the third round with a cut eye. The former Kilkenny hurler will now renew rivalry with Conrad Cummings, who defeated Chris Blayney (Navan) 22-10.
“A win is a win, you get through it,” O’Neill said. “London (the Olympics) is my main goal this year.”
Adam Nolan (Bray/Garda) continued his defence of the welterweight title beating 2011 European Youth silver medallist Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise) 16-10, while Willie McLaughlin (Illies GG) beat another up and coming prospect, Jason Quigley (Finn Valley), 12-10 in an all-Donegal quarter final.
The two St. Michael’s, Athy welterweights, 2010 champion John Joe Joyce and Roy Sheahan, who won three titles before breaking his hand, are also safely through in what is the hottest division. Sheahan beat Jamie Dowling (Paulstown) 11-4 and Joyce beat Noel Sommers (St. Matthews) 16-8.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
