Ward, Molloy and Okungbowa remain on course
THREE local boxers remain on course for success at this year's National Elite Boxing Championships. At senior level, Moate's Joe Ward received a bye through last weekend's opening round in the light-heavyweight division, and will now face the winner of Davey Joe Joyce and Sean Allen, who face each other in this Friday's quarter-final. Ward, 17, potentially stands one bout away from a shot at Olympian Kenny Egan, who also received a bye in the quarter-finals, and faces Thomas Roohan in the semi-finals on Friday. Defending national senior champion and fellow Moate Boxing Club man Gary Molloy will be in action on Friday (February 18). Flyweight champion Molloy will open his defence with a semi-final clash with Belfast's Michael Conlon at IABA headquarters. Molloy will meet the St John Bosco BC prospect, who eliminated Olympic Youth champ and 2010 AIBA World Youth Championships silver-medalist Ryan Burnett last Saturday, over three, three minutes rounds at IABA headquarters. Meanwhile, Athlone Boxing Club star Kenneth Okungbowa - a two-time All-Ireland super heavyweight champion - has progressed into the semi-finals (in the super heavyweight division) courtesy of a close 3-2 win over Gareth Smith from Crumlin Boxing Club. Next up for Okungbowa is a semi-final clash against the highly experienced Tommy Sheehan of St Michael's (Athy), with the fight pencilled in for this Saturday evening in the National Boxing Stadium, Dublin. Joe Ward, who recently cruised to victory at the Irish Open Youths Championships, and is the reigning AIBA World Youth champion, is aiming to halt Kenny Egan's bid for an amazing eleventh national senior title. Ward's opponent on Saturday will be either Davey Joe Joyce or Sean Allen. They were originally meant to clash last Saturday, but a malfunction in the computer scoring system saw the bout postponed at the end of the second round. They meet again on Friday with the winner facing Ward the following evening. Because of the computer malfunction, seven of Saturday's quarter-finals were decided on judges' markings. Defending heavyweight champion Con Sheehan earned a 5-0 unanimous decision over Belfast's Tommy McCarthy in the 90kg quarter-finals. The championships - which coincides with the IABA's 100th birthday - are once again showing total disregard for the reputations of some of the country's top amateur boxers. Olympic Youth champion Ryan Burnett, Northern Ireland's Commonwealth Games gold medalist Paddy Gallagher, world senior quarter-finalist Willie McLaughlin, and 2008 World Youth champion Ray Moylette all exited over the weekend.