Posted online: Feb 23rd, 2010

It’s a case of so far so good for the Illies Golden Gloves boxers at the National Senior Championships in Dublin as both William McLaughlin and Tyrone McCullagh advanced to the semi-finals of the competition on Saturday night.

The Illies boxers will bid to reach the National Senior Final in welterweight and featherweight respectively at the National Stadium this Friday.

Featherweight McCullagh put his disappointment at the Ulster Finals behind him with a 2-0 win over Sean Kilroy of Holy Family ABC in Drogheda and will now face familiar foe Ryan Lindberg in the last four of the competition.

McCullagh has finished runner up to Immaculata clubman Lindberg in the last three Ulster Finals but the gap between the boxers has narrowed each year. And at this year’s final earlier this month McCullagh lost on a controversial countback decision where the last two rounds were inexplicably cut short by the timekeeper.

Significantly, McCullagh has previously beaten the two boxers on the other side of the draw and a win on Friday would see him advance to his first national final as a slight favourite as Illies Golden Gloves coach Eamonn Duffy explained.

“James Fryers and Sean Kilroy are in the other semi final and Tyrone has beaten them both well,” he said. “In many ways this Friday is Tyrone’s final, there is nothing between him and Lindberg now and this would be the one to beat him in. The gap is closing,  if we get the nine minutes we didn’t get last time there’ll be no if or buts about the result.”

At Welterweight, reigning champion William McLaughlin continued his outstanding form with a 10-0 win over Arklow’s Fergal Redmond. William has now won his last four fights without conceding a point and has amassed 31 points but he believes his fight this Friday with Bray’s Adam Nolan will provide a stiffer test.

“Nolan is a 6 foot 1’ southpaw who’ll be awkward, I feel I’m boxing well and my defense has been good so hopefully I can keep that going,” said McLaughlin.

 On the other side of the welterweight draw former EU Champion Roy Sheahan fights his St Michael’s  clubmate John Joe Joyce who is ranked 7th in the world but William is keen to focus on his semi-final.

“A final against either of them would be a tough fight but I’m only focusing on Friday.”

While William will be favourite to advance this Friday, Duffy sounded a word of caution about his opponent.

“Nolan will be going all out to win, he has previously lost to Sheahan on a countback so he would fancy his chances in the final if he beat William and Sheahan won on Friday.”