Joyce turns on the power in classy victory over McKim

DAVID Oliver Joyce of St Michael’s, Athy proved that this year’s senior boxing championships were not just about one boxer.

He turned in one of the performances of the tournament to outpoint the courageous Shaun McKim (Abbey, Antrim) and claim the bantamweight title previously held by his club-mate Eric Donovan, in last night's finals at the National Stadium.

Every punch in the book was thrown in this contest, and all by the same boxer, as Joyce threw the big punches, put the combinations together and sneaked inside to punish his man with a vicious right hand to the body.

From early on it was evident that this was going to be a battle for survival for the 24-year-old Ulster champion and he did well to do just that.

He was caught with some big bombs early in the first round and while he rallied to get through with a few good shots, Joyce deservedly won the round 7-1.

And he won the second 6-2 as he put a variety of punches together in some delightful combinations, finishing off the round with a big right hand to the body that doubled his opponent.

Joyce started the third round slowly and McKim came back into the fight. He shipped a big right hand to the head early on but his headgear slipped and he got a chance to recover while it was being replaced. The relief was short, however, and he was forced to take a standing count from another right hand delivered at the end of a three-punch combination.

He did well to see out the round and the judges scored it favourably for him, giving it to Joyce by just one point, 2-1.

The final round developed into something of an exhibition by Joyce as he put the punches together with pin-point precision to add the national senior title to what is now a complete collection of titles that include all the underage and youths titles, as well as the national junior and U21 titles.

He proved last night that he is going to go much further because this performance was not just about punches and combinations.

He used the ring well, drew his man, made him miss and boxed with a hint of professionalism that put a smile on the face of his coach, IABA president Dominic O'Rourke.

Karl Brabazon (St Saviour's Olympic Boxing Academy), who stripped Henry Coyle of his wellterweight title in sensational fashion in the semi-finals a week earlier, was rewarded last night when he claimed the title as his own.

But it was only by the narrowest of margins as Oisin Kelly from Portlaoise pushed him all the way in one of the closest and most exciting bouts of the night.

Kelly, the current intermediate champion, got off to a flying start and looked like causing an upset of his own when he won the first round 3-1 but it was evident at the end of the round it was going to be close.

Brabazon took the fight to his opponent in the second and had Kelly on the ropes at the bell. He won the round 2-1 and there was just a point between them going into the third.

And what a third round it was, with both boxers trading punches in the centre of the ring and Brabazon just about getting the upper hand to tie the fight at 5-5 going into the final round. This was another thriller, with Brabazon edging it 3-2 to claim the title.

There was an upset of sorts in the heavyweight final when Ian Tims (St Matthew's, Dublin) stripped Alan Reynolds of his title, although in the lead up to the finals it was evident that the Dubliner was up for this one.

Reynolds, who was going for his seventh national senior title he won three at light heavy and three at heavy had his brother, Stephen, whom he had succeeded as heavyweight champion, in his corner. He tied the first round at 1-1 with Tims, who won the light heavyweight title in 2002.

They stepped up the pace in the second round and, by the end of the third round, Tims, the cleaner and more accurate puncher, had edged two points clear and his fitness told in the final round which he won 6-3 for a 13-9 victory.

There was no joy for Limerick light flyweight, Jimmy Moore (St Francis), who met the defending champion Conor Ahern at his very best.

Throwing big punches that belied his weight, the Dubliner had his man on the retreat from the opening bell although Moore, to his credit, was always willing to take the fight to him.

Ahern, who has been a member of the High Performance squad since 2003, won the first round 6-0, went 15-1 up at the end of the second and was continuing to build on that with some vicious punches to the head and body until the referee stopped the contest in his favour in the third.

But the Limerick man's corner had already thrown in the towel.

Light Flyweight: Conor Ahern (Baldoyle, Dublin) beat James Moore (St Francis, Limerick) RSC Rd 3.

Flyweight: Carl Frampton (Midland White City, Belfast) beat Derek Thorpe (St Aidan's, Ferns) 14-4.

Bantamweight: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael's, Athy) beat Shaun McKim (Abbey, Antrim) 22-6.

Welterweight: Karl Brabazon (St Saviour's Olympic Boxing Academy) beat Oisin Kelly (Portlaoise) 8-7.

Heavyweight: Ian Tims (St Matthews, Dublin) beat Alan Reynolds (Ballina) 13-9.