Nevin takes another big scalp

CAVAN Boxing Clubs Olympian John Joe Nevin added another scalp to his record, when he scored an emphatic 8-1 victory over Uzbekistans Daniel Donlyorov at the National Stadium in Dublin on Friday night. Nevin displayed a textbook performance of clever movement and sharp counter-punching to dominate the world-rated Asian fighter and cemented his selection for Septembers World Championships in Italy. The Cavan stylist exerted so much control that he did not concede a scoring shot until late in the final round. Even then, this was due to a lack of concentration and a little bit of showboating to the crowd rather than a result of the Uzbeks efforts. Donlyorov, like all of his team-mates from Eastern Europe, was a very strong, fit and aggressive opponent and a lethal body puncher. The slick-moving Cavan fighter was well-able to neutralise his strength to take a comfortable points win. A confident start saw Nevin lead 2-0 at the end of the opening session, and he extended his lead to five points in the second. He led 8-0 in the final, before Donlyorov got his consolation score late in the final round. This Saturday was due to see Nevin resume hostilities with current champion Luke Campbell, from England, whos seeking to defeat Nevin at the third time of trying. However, a last minute change of opponent saw the Great Britain management withdrew Campbell and install Andrew Selby from Wales in his place. The number two ranked fighter, who is pushing Campbell for the top spot, and the pair were tied 2-2 at the end of the second session which in no way represented the nature of the bout. The Welsh boxer edged ahead midway through the final round only to find the Olympian hit top gear, and score three eye-catching head shots to take a well-deserved 9-7 victory. This tough, hard-fought contest will certainly benefit Nevin as he moves on to possible World Championship glory in six weeks time. The international tournament was the culmination of a 10-day training camp in Dublin with the host nation joined by teams from Uzbekistan, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the UK. The Irish team complete their preparation for Milan when they travel to the French Institute of Sport in Paris on August 15 in a training camp with 11 other nations including France and Cuba. Sunday morning saw 10 boxers from the Cavan club fly out to Kansas City to compete at the Ringside World Championships, the biggest and most prestigious competition of its kind. There will be an expected entry of over 1,500 boxers, both male and female, ranging in aging from 10-60 years of age competing in novice and open categories. While the Cavan club made history for being the first Irish club to participate in the event, and have enjoyed success in the past with David Nevin and Caroline Reilly taking home world titles, all 10 boxers will be debuting at the tournament. Hugh, Joe and Paddy Nevin, Adam Cullen and Ceir Smith will compete in the open class section of their groups. While Gemma Lee, Pat McCann, Michael Hatton, Donal Cadden and Charlie Glackin competing at novice level. The tournament will also be a useful and very beneficial experience for national cadet champions Hugh and Joe Nevin, who have been included in the squad drawn up to compete at the European Cadets to be staged in Russia in late September. Both boys have been called to report to the national gym to begin preparations under Tony Davitt, upon their return from the USA. Another fighter expecting international duty shortly is 16-year-old Redhills camogie player Ceir Smith, who is part of the junior elite squad preparing under coaches Pat Ryan and Peter Taylor at the national training facility in Dublin. All the boxers have finished an intensive training programme that included two sessions a day under the tutelage of veteran Cavan coach Brian McKeown and his training team at the progressive club.