Last week Irish boxing seen the return of the National Elite Championships, with a huge amount of bouts taking place in the National Stadium.
Kilkenny boxer and former Olympian Darren O’Neill was in action defeating Kane Tucker from Belfast in a quarter final bout. The bout was a hotly contested affair between the young upstart Tucker and the experience O’Neill. However the Paulstown man secured the victory on a 3-2 split decision. With the quarter finals out of the way draws where then made to determine who would face who in the semi’s.
Darren was due to fight Ighosa Igharo from Clann Naofa Boxing Club in Dundalk. The other semi final bout in the new 86kg category will be contested between James Redmond from Ballybrack) and Faolain Rahill fighting out of DCU.
However it is now understood that Ighosa has had to withdraw himself from the fight thus ensuring O’Neill’s path to the final. Speaking with Scoreline Darran’s father Ollie O’Neill broke the news saying,
“Darren was down to box Saturday in the elite semi final but I got a phone call from his ( Ighosa Igharo ) coach and he has with drawn and given a walkover. So it is onto the finals on Saturday week live on TG4!”
“Its just as well as he got cut last week so gives us more time to heal”
O’Neill now has a chance to cement his place in history becoming the inaugural champion in the 86kg weight class.
