Lee, Donovan head programme at National Stadium

THOMAS LEE (Oughterard) and Eric Donovan (St Michael’s, Athy), members of the Irish team for the multi-nations tournament in Cork, will be in action at the national under-21 boxing championships finals at the National Stadium tonight, while a third member of the squad, Conor Ahern (Baldoyle), gets a walkover in the light flyweight division.

Donovan is one of three Athy boxers in action tonight.

This year he won the national junior title with a walkover against his clubmate, David Joyce. Tonight he meets Anthony Hopkins (Corinthians), a cadet international, in what promises to be an exciting bantamweight final.

Rot Sheahan (69 kgs) is another talented member of the club. After winning every title available to him in 2001/2002, he made it to the finals of the national senior championships where he lost out to Paul McCloskey.

He faces the Dublin youths champion, James Sweeney (Drimnagh) tonight.

The third St. Michael’s boxer in action is David Joyce who steps up a division to avoid his clubmate and takes on Francis Linden (East Coast) at featherweight. Thomas Lee (Oughterard) lost to Paul Hyland (Golden Cobra) in the finals of the national senior championships earlier this year.

Intermediate champion, twice, he should have far too much in hand for the talented youngster, Derek Thorpe (St Aidan’s), a national youth’s champion, in the flyweight final.

With the 2004 national senior championships scheduled to be boxed in December to allow time for preparations for the Olympic qualifiers, everyone has sights on the elite squad and, of course, Olympic qualification.

It is hardly surprising that the under-21 championships should take on a new dimension. Michael McDonagh from Mullingar, runner-up in last year’s national senior championships, is another with ambitions and he has a real task on his hands against the up and coming light heavyweight, Darren O’Neill from Kilkenny.

He is a Leinster junior champion and gold medallist at a multi-nations tournament in Greece last year.

Another McDonagh from the Brosna club, John Joe, is the reigning Leinster junior champion at 64kg, and he has an engagement with last year’s runner-up in the national intermediate championships, Michael McLoughlin (Carndonagh).

The Ulster senior champion, Shane Curran (Enniskillen), will be the favourite to win the heavyweight title against Patrick Coyle (Geesala, Co. Mayo).

The bill for tonight is:

48kg: Conor Ahern (Baldoyle) walk over.

51kg: Thomas Lee (Oughterard) v Derek Thorpe (St. Aidan’s).

54kg: Eric Donovan (St. Michael’s, Athy) v Anthony Hopkins (Corinthians).

57kg: Francis Linden (East Coast) v David Joyce (St. Michael’s, Athy).

60kg: Thomas Dwyer (St. Aidan’s, Wexford) v Garreth Dunne (Neilstown).

64kg: Michael McLoughlin (Carndonagh) v John Joe McDonagh (Brosna).

69kg: Roy Sheahan (St. Michael’s, Athy) v James Sweeney (Drimnagh).

75kg: Robert Long (Golden Cobra) v Sean Shevlin (Kilkerley, Louth).

81kg: Darren O’Neill (Kilkenny) v Michael McDonagh (Brosna)

91kg: Patrick Coyle (Geesala, Mayo) v Shane Curran (Enniskillen).