Donnelly on trail of Irish title glory

FIRST it was an Ulster title...now Steven Donnelly is on the scent of Irish senior boxing glory.

The All Saints boxer came safely through his debut at the Irish senior finals in Dublin at the weekend to move into the semi-finals of the 64kg championships at the National Stadium by beating Patrick Gallagher – the same opponent he beat to clinch the Ulster title three weeks ago.

There, he will face Sonny Upton, from Belfast's Holy Trinity Club this Saturday evening, for a place in the final in his first year at this level.

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“Steven had a bit of a virus during the week which concerned us,” his coach Gerry Hamill told Times Sport.

“Pulling out wasn't an option, though, and although he lacked a wee bit of strength, he was still a deserving winner.

“He's looking forward to meeting Upton – they have met once before with a win apiece and they have fairly similar styles so it should be a good contest.”

Not only would a good run in the Irish finals cement his place in the Northern Ireland squad for the Commonwealth Games later this year, it could also put him into the Irish Elite squad, which would set up trips to major championships from which qualification for the 2012 Olympics in London could be the ultimate reward.

“We're hoping that the route we have taken in entering Steven in the Irish finals will eventually take him on to bigger and better things in the long run,” added Gerry.

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