Sports
Irish 2014 heavyweight champion Gary Sweeney has 2016 Olympics in his sights
City boxer Gary Sweeney takes the first step towards realising his dream of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics when he lines out for his franchise team Mexico Guerreros against the British Lions at York Hall, London next Thursday night.
Due to fight out in Mexico last month with the Central American outfit, who recruited Sweeney after watching him fight at an Ireland international in Germany, Sweeney had to withdraw after sustaining an injury.
However, his coach and brother Michael Sweeney insists the 2014 Irish senior elite heavyweight boxing champion is primed for action and looking forward to the fight.
“Training has been going well and he has been sparring some of the top guys in Dublin,” said the Olympic Boxing Club coach.
“So, he has been dividing his time between the High Performance team Tuesday to Friday and Olympic Boxing Club. As I said, everything is going well and now all we are hoping for is a victory next Thursday.”
Although Sweeney’s opponent has yet to be confirmed, the likelihood is that he will be fighting 30-year-old Sunderland fighter Warren Baister, who just missed out in the final qualifying round for the 2012 London Olympics.
Sweeney is just one of a number of Irish fighters who have affiliated to franchises in the World Series of Boxing (WSB), with others such as Steven Donnelly of Poland Hussars and Italia Thunder duo Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan also seeking Olympic qualification through the series.
With the aforementioned all enjoying a great deal of success – Barnes and Conlan are certainly looking good at the moment – 20-year-old Sweeney will hope to follow suit with a win next week.
After that, he must secure victories against the heavyweight fighters of Morocco Atlas Lions (March 13) and China Dragons (April 17) to be in contention for an Olympic qualification berth.
Having missed last month’s fight already puts him under some pressure but Gary’s coach Michael notes the avenue of the European Championships in August may also be available to the 2014 County Galway Sports Star winner.
Meanwhile, Sweeney’s Olympic BC club-mate Debbie O’Reilly, who became the first female Galway boxer to win a National Elite Senior Women’s title when defeating Louise Donohue of Geesala in the Irish lightweight final at the National Stadium last month, has her first international bout next week.
The Irish ladies will take on their Ukraine counterparts over two nights – Friday in the National Stadium and Saturday in St. Brigid’s BC, Kildare – with O’Reilly fighting on the Friday night on a premier card that includes AIBA World No. 8 ranked welterweight Clare Graceand fellow Elite champions Lauren Hogan, Dervla Duffy, Kelly Harrington and Diane Campbell.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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