BY MATTHEW WILSON
MATTHEW McCole achieved a dream of his back in June as he secured the Irish Elite Light-Middleweight title.
The Illies Boxing Club member made the trip to Belfast for the event where he defeated Eugene McKeever in the final, winning by a 4-1 unanimous decision on the judges scorecards.
It was a special victory for McCole, becoming the first person from his hometown to lift the belt. The win in Belfast also secured him a place on Team Ireland for September’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool which was the icing on the cake.
“It was one that I always chased,” said McCole. “Being the first person from Dungloe was massive because it was one that my grandfather always wanted to get so to get that was sweet.
“Especially when it was new weights and the whole new thing with the world boxing to get it. It was for the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool so the whole thing just seemed to click and sweet is what you would call it I’d say.”
In the final of the competition, McCole came face-to-face with a familiar opponent in the form of Eugene McKeever.
The Dungloe native had faced McKeever four times prior to June’s showdown and came out on the wrong end of the result on each occasion.
McCole felt that a few of those decisions against McKeever should have gone his way in the past and with this previous knowledge of his opponent, he knew what to expect when he entered the ring at the Girdwood Community Hub.
“I fought Eugene (McKeever) a couple of times and I’d have argued with two or three of the decisions. I knew what I was in with so there was no surprise.
“As I said, I thought I won a couple before against him so there’s no difference, you’re going in with the same attitude. It was good to get.
“To win over a worthy opponent too was good. You didn’t want anyone turning around and saying it was a fluke or anything so it was sweet enough to overdo all of them as well.”
In clinching the Irish Elite Light-Middleweight title six months ago, the Illies BC boxer also bridged a 50-year gap for a Donegal man to get his hands on the belt in that weight division, with Ballyshannon native Paddy Doherty being the last person to earn the honour in 1971.
McCole expressed that it was great to end that wait and display to people that boxers from this county are capable of competing with the larger areas.
“It’s mad. When you see all of that, there’s not too many from about that have all of this. To be able to show to ones from here that we can compete with others, because it’s always Belfast or Dublin.
“Us out in the rural parts are kind of forgotten about so to be up there representing not only your club but your county as well is what you want to do as well.”
This is undoubtedly a victory that will live long in the memory of Matthew McCole and one which he will cherish with pride.
Speaking to the Donegal News, McCole discussed that it’s a title that means a lot and one that he would’ve been disappointed not to have lifted during his career.
“As I said, it’s one of those things that you always wanted to do. If I ever left boxing then I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t have that title.
“It’s one of those that you think, you made it. Obviously, you have to keep going but it’s one of those that you can say, no matter you’ll always have an Irish Elite title, there’s very few people from about that have it.
“You go through tough times, there’s probably plenty of titles that I left behind because of stuff that wasn’t in my control so you take everything that you can get.”
After a busy campaign, the Dungloe man is currently recovering from surgery which he underwent on his elbow.
However, he’s aiming to be back in action in the not so distant future, with the Irish Elites taking place in the New Year.
He also expects 2026 to be a busy year for the National Team and is hoping to be in the mix to receive a call-up to represent his country once again.
“The immediate future is about recovering from this surgery. I’ll hopefully be back for the Irish Elites in January. The way surgery fell, I’m missing the Ulsters so I’ll get back for the Irish Elites and we’ll go from there because it’s supposed to be a busy enough year for the International Irish so hopefully I’ll be on the team again and on those planes.”
