Tredagh Boxing Academy entered 12 boxers into the recent Armagh / Down Open Championships which were hosted by Silverbridge Boxing Club over four days. There were clubs represented from all over Leinster and Ulster.
There were a lot of notable debut performances and fantastic experience gained from the Tredagh Boxers. Daniel Mathews in his quarter final beat a stylish boxer from Dealgan.
In the semifinal Daniel boxed a tough boxer from Sacred Heart (Belfast) only to be beaten in a split decision that could have gone either way on the night.
Ceejay Sheelin gave a masterclass performance to win his quarter final by unanimous decision against his opponent from St. Patrick’s, Newry. In his semi final he boxed a tough opponent from Banbridge.
It seemed to most people that Ceejay had won the bout but the judges thought differently and the decision went the other way to the eventual winner of the Championships.
Cormac Kelly boxed very well in his Semi Final to out box his Keady Boxing Club opponent and win by unanimous decision. His opponent in the final hailed from the famous St Paul’s Boxing Club in Belfast.
In another thrilling encounter Cormac outbox the Belfast man to win by unanimous decision and was crowned Armagh / Down Open Champion.
Andrew Mathews came through an eight boxer card to meet favorite for the tournament, an experienced boxer from Armagh Boxing Club. Andrew had a difficult first round which he lost to the Armagh man.
The second and third round were closer affairs which earned them a standing ovation from the crowd. There can only be one winner though and this time around, after a split decision from the judges, the Armagh man got the nod on this occasion.
Sean Loughran narrowly missed his target weight division so he faced a much bigger opponent from Rathfriland in the final of his division and the weight and size of his opponent proved too big a task and he settled for silver in a brave attempt.
Casey Donagh also gave a spirited performance in her final against her Rathfriland opponent only to be narrowly shaded out in a close points decision to also settle for the silver medal.
Charlie Flanagan gave a powerful performance to stop his opponent from Gilford in the semi final. In the final he faced a skillful opponent from Markethill in Belfast. Charlie won the first round but his opponent fought back to claim the second so it all came down to the final round in which Charlie finished strongly and was crowned Armagh / Down Open Champion by a unanimous decision.
Cian Smyth in his first competitive fight faced experienced opposition from Sacred Heart (Belfast) who had looked very impressive in his semi final. Cian moved up a weight division (no entries in his weight) to get the experience.
Despite giving away considerable advantages in height, weight and experience, Cian remained unphased as he went to war with the bigger man and by the end of the three round showdown the crowd were on their feet.
Once again the large Tredagh crowd were convinced Cian had won the bout but it was not to be and the split decision went in favour of the Belfast man. Although disappointed Cian can be proud of an amazing performance.
Also crowned Champions over the four days were Tredagh’s experienced Grace Conway, Breanna Johnston, Keith Muma and Michael James Mc Donagh all of whom are reigning All Ireland Champions.
Breanna Johnston and Grace Conway were also crowned Leinster Champions at the recent Leinster Championships in Portlaoise and look forward to their All Ireland Championships over the next few weeks.
The club also welcomed Elite High-Performance Coach Zaur Anita to the club for an evening of coaching. Zaur, who was nominated for RTE coach of the year and has been at the realm of Irish Boxing for the past 20 years, did a 90 minute coaching session with the group whilst also sharing his vast knowledge with the boxers in Tredagh Boxing Academy.
