Austeja Auciute.
BY CHRIS MCNULTY
AUSTEJA Auciute is on the scent of what would be her eighth national boxing title this weekend.
The 17-year old Finn Valley ABC ace competes in a National Under 22 Championship final tomorrow night at Dublin’s National Stadium.
Auciute is in action in the 64kg final and comes up against Kayleigh McCormack from Kilfenora.
St Columba’s College, Stranorlar student Auciute has seven previous national titles to her name and is just a couple of rounds from adding another belt to the ever-growing collection.
Last Friday Auciute overcame Sparticus BC fighter Grainne Walsh in the semi-final. Auciute was the unanimous 3-0 victor and has been showing excellent form having stepped up her training in recent times.
Auciute’s stock is high at national level with the Ballybofey woman having won a bronze medal at the inaugural Women’s World Youth and Junior Championships in Turkey two years ago.
County Clare native McCormack will be a formidable opponent, who also is a multiple national champion.
ULSTER 9 COUNTIES
There will be three Donegal boxers in action at the Ulster 9 Counties Novice Championships in Tyholland, County Monaghan this weekend.
Jordan Gallagher from Convoy takes on Silverbridge’s Liam Finnegan of Silverbridge in a Boy 12 39kgs semi-final, following his win against Sean Og Quinn (Toome) last weekend.
In the Boy 11 27kgs final, Cian Moran from the Illies Golden Gloves squares up to Odhrán McKenna (St Paul’s), while in the Boy 12 42kgs contest Bundoran’s Adam Clarke goes against Daniel McDonagh from Omagh. Clarke defeated Antrim’s Jonathan Adams last weekend.
Several other Donegal punchers were in action last weekend. John Reid (Convoy) and Donal Walsh (Dungloe) were beaten in Boy 11 quarter-finals, by Oakleaf’s Michael Stokes and Patrick Quinn of Errigal at 36kgs and 39kgs.
In the Boy 11 class, there were defeats for Dillon Mulhern and Gerard Oates from Bundoran as well as Dunfanaghy duo Adam Hall and Bryan Boyle, while Ryan Ward of Convoy was pipped by Eoghan Kerley at Boy 12 44kgs.
At Boy 13, Sean Kelly from Dunfanaghy was narrowly beaten by Shamus McDonagh (St Jarlath’s), while Clonmany’s EJ Gibbons and Jimmy Ward from Bundoran also lost out.
There was better news for the females.
Bundoran’s Shannah Tiffony took victory in the Girl 11 57kgs class while Raphoe’s Cody Lafferty was crowned Girl 11 31kg champion, the Ballindrait schoolgirl taking her second title in as many weeks having also defeated Westport’s Megan Gavin in Derry’s first all-female card at the Gasyard.
BOX-OFFS
Elsewhere, there is a very real possibility that Donegal will have two young boxers competing at the European Championships after St Johnston’s Brett McGinty and Carndonagh’s Liam Callaghan took victory in their respective box-offs for the Europeans in Dublin last weekend. McGinty was a bronze medalist at the 2012 European Schoolboy Championships in the Russian city of Anapa. McGinty, who boxes for the Oakleaf ABC in Derry, defeated Armenian Gurgen Madoyan to win bronze, before he was beaten in a semi-final by Russian Havazh Mutsolgov.
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