Boxing Elite Championships

Ken Egan advanced to the Elite Championships light-heavyweight final following a second round blitz of Thomas Roohan at the National Stadium last night.

But defending lightweight and welterweight champions Eric Donovan and John Joe Joyce crashed out following shock defeats to Michael McDonagh and former champ Karl Brabazon.

Egan, who is aiming for eleven titles on the trot, was 10-1 up when Roohan's corner threw in the towel after the Ballincarrow BC (Sligo) club man took a second standing count.

The 2008 Olympic silver medalist will now meet either Davey Joe Joyce or AIBA World Youth champ Joe Ward in next Friday's final.

Joyce came from behind to beat Sean Allen 6-5 in the only quarter-final of Friday session and will face Ward on this evening.

Donovan, who was targeting three-in-a-row at lightweight, dropped a 3-2 countback decision to McDonagh following a 1-1 tie - both points were scored in the final round.

Joyce was 4-3 ahead in the final frame of a thriller with St Saviours OBA ace Brabazon, but ceded two points after receiving a public warning for a low blow.

The St Michael's Athy man pulled it back to 5-5 with a big right seconds later, but Brabazon, roared on by half the National Stadium, drove home two points in the final 30 seconds to ultimately seal victory.

Defending flyweight champion Gary Molloy bowed out following a 10-5 loss to Belfast's Michael Conlon, who beat Olympic Youth champion Ryan Burnett last weekend.

Darren O'Neill, who is aiming for three on the trot at middleweight, had to come from behind three times to record a 4-3 win over the impressive Conrad Cummings, who had Bernard Dunne's ex coach Harry Hawkins working his corner.

John Joe Nevin, a bronze medal winner at the 2009 World Championships, produced a classy performance to beat Wexford's Derek Thorpe 9-0 in a repeat of the 2010 bantamweight final which Nevin won 7-5.

Ross Hickey, a bronze medal winner at the 2008 European Championships, beat James McDonagh 10-5 in the light-welter class, and Tipperary heavyweight Con Sheehan, the defending champ, cruised to a 13-0 victory over Commonwealth Games silver-medalist Steven Ward.

Defending champ Cathal McMonagle was also cruising, a 13-1 decision over Chris Devanney booking his ticket into the super-heavyweight decider.

In the Women's Elite semi-finals, European Youth silver medalist Katie Rowland dominated en route to an 11-1 win over Debbie Rogers and Ceire Smith recorded a first round stoppage of Rebecca Dillon.

Michael Walsh was also in top form, a 7-1 decision over Stephanie Quaile booking her ticket in Saturday's featherweight final.

She was joined in the 57Kg decider by the equally impressive Dervla Duffy, while Allana Murphy edged out Sarah Close on a 16-14 countback following a thrilling 64Kg duel.

Kelly Harington hit ten without reply versus Sabina Mason. Mason's Bray BC Laoise Traynor team-mate beat Caroline Connolly.

And Jessie Lyons is just four, two minute rounds away from adding a Senior title to her Intermediate belt after Nicole Hamill was retired in round four.

The Women's Elite finals and the Men's Elite semi-finals will be decide tonight at the National Stadium. The Men's Elite finals will be decided on Friday February 25th.

AIBA World Youth champion Joe Ward will meet Ken Egan in the light-heavyweight final at the Irish Daily Star sponsored Elite National Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin next Friday night.

Ward, who boxes out of the Moate BC in Westmeath, beat Davey Joe Joyce 8-2 in last night's semi-final to set up the 81Kg duel with Egan in the IABA's Centenary year.

Egan,28, will be aiming for an unprecedented 11th Irish Senior title in a row next Friday, but 17-year-old Ward, who claimed an AIBA World Junior title in Armenia in 2009 before winning AIBA World
Youth gold in Azerbaijan last year, is aiming to cause an upset.

"The way I see it everyone is beatable and hopefully I will come out on the right side of it. You have to give Kenny respect, he's 10 times senior champion," said Ward following his victory last night.

Meanwhile, Jason Quigley will meet defending middleweight champion Darren O'Neill, a silver medal winner at the 2010 European Championships, in a repeat of last years final after his 11-4 win over
Chris Blaney last night.

Tyrone McCullagh beat Shane Cox to set up a 56Kg clash with defending champion John Joe Nevin.

Chris Phelan, who is making his Senior debut this season, is through to the flyweight decider following his victory over 2009 Senior champion Declan Geraghty, while Philip Sutcliffe recorded an inside the distance win over Anthony Upton.

David Oliver Joyce will represent the St Michael's Athy club courtesy of his win over Ciaran Bates and Adam Nolan remains on course for the welterweight title after chalking up a 6-1 verdict over Jamie Dowling.

Patrick Corcoran and Kenneth Okungbowa booked their tickets into the heavyweight and super-heavyweight finals with positive decision over John Sweeney and Thomas Sheehan.

In the Women's Elite finals, European Youth silver medalist Katie Rowland, Lynne McEnery, Michaela Walsh, Louis Traynor, Kelly Harrington and Leanne McAree Murphy all emerged victorious.