Senior Elite title for Olympic's Patsy Joyce

Mullingar boxing star Patsy Joyce has won the Senior Elite title in Belfast on Thursday, following an impressive performance.

Patsy, from the Olympic Boxing Club, defeated Ben Molloy from Edenmore Boxing Club, Dublin, 5-0, with a controlled three rounds of boxing. It was a brilliant performance from the Olympic boxer who won every round 5-0 and was totally dominant in this 55kg event.

This is Elite competition and is geared towards assisting with selection for the World Elite Boxing Championships in Liverpool in September. Patsy will now represent Ireland in these championships which is a major achievement for him.

Elsewhere, Jason Nevin had four bouts in the tournament, starting on Monday and finishing on a Thursday night. On Monday in the last 16, Jason Nevin overcame James McDonogh from St Paul's Waterford on split decision, 4-1. This was very close fight with the Mullingar man just edging all rounds to get the victory.

In the quarter-finals, Jason beat JP Hale from Belfast in a very tough contest in which Jason lost the first round (5-0), but came back strongly to win the second, 3-2. He then went on to win the third round, 4-1, to secure victory on a 3-2 split decision in the bout.

In the semi-final, Jason boxed Cian Cramer from Dublin and the Olympic boxer won all rounds 5-0 to book his place in the decider. The final was his fourth bout in four days and it was just too much for Jason, who did not have the same energy levels having come through the tough side of the draw.

Jason lost to Dean Clancy, a 2024 Olympian, which shows the level at which he was operating.

Patsy Joyce (55kg) and Jason Nevin were both defending their Irish Senior Elite championships from 2024.

Robyn Kelly takes Silver medal

Elsewhere, Ballynacargy boxer Robyn Kelly had to settle for second best in the final of the Elite National Championships on Thursday evening as Paris Olympian Jenny Lehane (DCU Boxing Club) proved too strong when they met in Belfast.

Lehane prevailed on a split decision (4-1) and had to recover after the Ballynacargy boxer took the opening round. However, she showed her experience and class to bounce back in the next two, both of which were attritional.

Camillus Kelly, Robyn's dad and coach at Ballynacargy Boxing Club, said the experience of a first Elite final at adult level will stand to the talented boxer. She showed grit and determination to take the opening round, but it wasn't to be.

"We won the first round (3-2), but it got a bit messy after that and the second and third rounds went against us. Robyn has lots of time to dust off and get ready for the U22 championships," he observed. He thanked everyone for the great level of support Robyn received and the 20-year-old star is sure to be back competing at the highest level in the near future, and her day will come in the Elite level.

The standard at the Elite level was seriously competitive as highlighted during Robyn Kelly's route to the final. An impressive victory over European Gold Medallist Chloe Gabriel in the semi-final secured the Ballynacargy boxer her place in Thursday's Elite final and set up an eagerly awaited contest in the 54kg category.

Robyn has already won a National title in the 54kg category and the step up to Elite level is natural progression for her this year. Her victory over Chloe Gabriel represents further progress and the talented 20-year-old, with eight national titles already won, will have many more years to add to her impressive tally.

Jenny Lehane has that Olympic experience from last year under her belt and as expected, proved a formidable opponent. The Ashbourne bantamweight lost to China’s more experienced Yuan Chang at the Arena Paris Nord last year, but she is clearly determined to develop a bigger career in the sport. The 27-year-old excelled in taekwondo before taking up boxing.