Ulster 9 County titles for Conan Kearney and Jack McElroy

Conan Kearney and Jack McElroy won their finals at the Ulster 9 County 4-7 Championships in Belfast on Saturday.

St Bridget’s, Clonmany puncher Kearney and Raphoe Boxing Club’s McElroy were the Donegal winners on the day at the Corpus Christi BC.

Down the Ballymurphy road in west Belfast, Kearney and McElroy were victors, but there was no joy for David Tennyson (Raphoe) and Joey O’Hara (Twin Towns) in their finals.

Kearney swept the board for a fine unanimous decision against Brandon Sweeney in the Boy 4 66kgs final.

Kearney delivered a dominant performance that caught the eye of the judges at ringside.

The St Bridget’s man was given the nod by all five arbitrators at ringside.

Kearney had beaten Gareth McCann from Oliver Plunkett’s in his semi-final.

Kearney was the Irish Boy 2 56kgs champion in 2021 and a gold medal winner at this year’s William Wallace Box Cup. Now, he’ll have designs on making an assault on another national title.

McElroy had his hand raised after defeating Cohen McCabe of Castleblaney to claim the honours in the Boy 6 63kgs decider.

McElroy also won on a unanimous decision.

McElroy’s Raphoe BC club-mate Tennyson was pipped in the Boy 4 57kgs final.

Tennyson, who won gold at the HSK Box Cup in Denmark earlier in the year, was on the wrong end of a 3-2 split decision against Caolite Jones from Golden Gloves Kilkeel.

Twin Towns’ O’Hara lost out to Philip Rooney of Sacred Heart Boxing Club/Academy Belfast in the Boy 6 75kgs final.

Rooney took a unanimous decision against O’Hara, who overcame Erne’s Darragh Kelly on a 3-2 split in his semi-final the previous weekend.

Four Donegal boxers claimed titles via walkover victories: Jack Boyle (Dunfanaghy, Boy 4 75kgs); Kerry Brown (Convoy, Girl 4 55kgs); Lani Lafferty (Girl 6, 70kgs); Oisin Dobbins (Illies, Boy 7 92kgs).