The Portlaoise BC light welter claimed his first Elite belt last February and is back in the mix at 63kg at the 2019 National Elites which begin at Dublin’s National Stadium tonight. World champion Kellie Harrington defends her lightweight belt at the flagship tournament of Irish boxing. Three-time European Elite light-heavy champion Joe Ward is out of the Championships with an elbow injury. The two-time World Elite finalist and Rio Olympian is having an MRI scan but is optimistic that he’ll be back in action next month. The Dundalk southpaw has already won an Irish U22 belt this year and hammered Russia’s 2016 European Elite champion Alexandra Ordina in the Golden Girl final in Sweden last weekend.

Source: Irish Examiner February 08, 2019 05:26 UTC