Lee proves a point to claim first senior title
The 18-year-old Limerick lad, a silver medallist at the World Junior Championships in Cuba last year, has been the centre of attention from the moment he stepped into the ring on his Senior Championship debut.
A stylish and accurate southpaw he did not disappoint his fans.
And last night he piled up the points early on after a nervous opening round and went to work with his two fisted combinations to lead 12-2 at the end of the second.
He oozed confidence in the third round when the Derryman pushed forward relentlessly and he picked him off with clean punches to lead 21-6.
O’Kane now had nothing to lose going into the final round and he piled on the pressure, swinging and getting through with some flashing flurries.
But Lee tied him up, pushed him back and won comfortably 27-12.
“It was not my best performance but it was good enough,” a delighted Lee said afterwards.
“There was a lot of pressure on me going in to the final, there was a lot riding on it.”
“I wanted this medal badly and I would place it right up there alongside the World Junior silver.”
Lee, who weighed in 6lbs under the weight, admitted that he was pressurised by O’Kane in the final round. “I tied him up and broke his rhythm but I could not take any chances,” he said.
One of the classiest boxers to arrive on the scene in recent years, Lee was born in London of a Dublin father and a Limerick mother.
He moved to Limerick five years ago and now works full-time in his father’s landscape and gardening business.
Alan Reynolds (St Joseph’s, Sligo) retained his heavyweight title by virtue of a 32-10 victory over Thomas Donnelly (Mark Heagney) to win his fifth National Senior title.
He won three at light heavyweight and this was his second heavyweight title since he took over from his brother Stephen who also won five National Senior titles.
Paul Hyland (Golden Cobra), twice a National Junior champion and runner-up at a Senior debut last year when he boxed at light flyweight, won his first National Senior title by out-pointing Thomas Lee (Oughterard) 13-8 in the flyweight final.
The Dubliner had the bigger punch but Lee crowded him and when he was caught with a big left-right combination to the head and body at the start of the second round, he weathered the storm.
Under pressure, Hyland hung on to the initiative, led 8-6 going in to the last round and won comfortably if not impressively.
Kenneth Egan (Neilstown) claimed his third title and his first at light heavyweight with a 16-4 victory over Conall Carmichael (Holy Trinity, Belfast) in an uneventful contest.
Egan, who beat Carmichael in the Middleweight final a couple of years ago knew what he had to do and he kept his man under wraps, breaking free to catch him with some clean punches that sealed victory.
John Paul Kinsella (Ballybrack), became the first champion to lose his title when he was out-pointed by Paul Baker (Immaculata Club, Belfast).
The Dubliner did precious little in the opening two rounds when Baker, the cleaner puncher, caught him with some good shots.
The third and fourth rounds saw Kinsella coming forward but now Baker was picking him off and when he forced a standing count in the fourth round, he was on his way to a 20-8 victory.
Flyweight: Paul Hyland (Golden Cobra) beat Thomas Lee (Oughterard) 13-8.
Middleweight: Andy Lee (St. Francis) bt Eamon O’Kane (St. Canices) 27-12.
Heavyweight: Alan Reynolds (St. Joseph’s, Sligo) bt Thomas Donnelly (Mark Heagney) 32-10.
Light Heavyweight: Kenneth Egan (Neilstown) bt Conall Carmichael (Holy Trinity) 16-4.
Light Flyweight: Paul Baker (Immaculata) bt J.P. Kinsella (Ballybrack) 20-8.
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