Published: Wednesday, 10th March, 2010 5:00pm

Gary Molloy takes National Senior Flyweight crown

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There was a new name added to the roll call of Moate's fantastic boxing tradition when 18-year-old Gary Molloy became national senior flyweight champion at the national stadium in Dublin.

The sizeable Moate contingent were forced to endure a nervous final contest though as Molloy from Mount Carmel Drive took on four-times Irish Senior boxing champion Conor Ahern from the Baldoyle Boxing Club in the 51kg final.

Molloy was 6-4 up early in the final round, but was pegged back to a one-point margin late in the round ensuring a nail-biting final few seconds.

In a bout which was nip and tuck from start to finish, Gary took an early lead and with his longer reach and lightening fast reflexes proved very difficult to hit. With footwork that would make any professional dancer proud he eluded the best efforts of a quality opponent like Conor Ahern. The speed of the exchanges was an example of amateur boxing at its very best.

Ahern scored with a right just as the round was finishing but in the same exchange Molloy's counter was also recorded leaving the Moate boxer 2-1 ahead at the first bell. An early point was secured in round two as Molloy flicked out a left while he glided past Ahern.

The doughty Baldoyle man showed why he has four senior titles to his name as he brought the score back to 3-3 in the course of the second round before another good left from Molloy restored the lead to the Moate boxer. Back came Ahern again to leave things at 4-4 and as we reached the final seconds of the second round a left cross from Molloy left him 5-4 ahead with three minutes to go.

An early point for Molloy left a two-point gap and possibly caused the Moate boxer to try and protect his lead. Ahern threw everything he had into the final two minutes but a great guard and those dancing feet kept him at bay. A late point for Ahern had the Moate contingent roaring at Gary to run, but the calmest man in the arena kept his focus and ducked, dived and weaved his way to a fantastic first senior title.

Molloy was already reigning All-Ireland U18 champion and All-Ireland U21 champion and Intermediate champion (beating the 2009 senior champion Declan Geraghty in both finals).

He now takes over the senior title that Geraghty won last year in the absence of the then seventeen-year-old Molloy last year took the advice of his coach Seamus Dorrington and contented himself with three titles, happy to wait another year before winning the national senior belt at his first attempt. Geraghty missed the senior championships this year with a broken hand.

The tension in this bout is exemplified by the normally calm and composed Seamus Dorrington receiving two warnings from referee Sadie Frost for coaching from the corner.

Seamus Dorrington, in the midst of the great excitement, had sympathetic thoughts for Conor Ahern, a boxer he admires greatly, who had for the second year in succession, lost a senior final by one solitary point.

Speaking about Gary Molloy, Seamus was delighted with his speed and fitness "in the third round of a very demanding fight, I don't think his heels touched the canvas at any point".

The ambition of every boxer is to become a national senior champion and Gary Molloy, at only eighteen years of age, has already achieved this goal. Next on the agenda is a senior international against Italy this weekend followed by the European Championships in June.