Irish champ Donnelly poised for homecoming

Steven Donnelly got the verdict in his last meeting with John Joe Joyce, in the Irish championship semi-finals. The pair meet again in Saturday night's All Saints fight night in Ballymena. Picture: INPHO.

The newly-crowned Irish welterweight champion will take on Olympian John Joe Joyce in the headline bout of an All Saints Boxing Club show in Ballymena’s Leighinmohr House Hotel this Saturday, April 5.

Donnelly has met Joyce three times, the most recent of them last month with Donnelly winning his Irish Elite semi-final before beating champion Adam Nolan in the final.

Joyce will head up a team from St Michael’s Athy, regarded as one of the top boxing clubs in Ireland.

The evening will also feature a number of All Saints’ senior boxers including Joel Scullion and Vinny Esler.

Also on the bill are some of the club’s younger fighters, including newly-crowned County Antrim champions Ricky Moore, Aidan Kelly and Reece McDonnell.

Tickets for the event are priced at £15 and are available by contacting the Leighinmohr House Hotel directly on 2565 2313, or by contacting All Saints ABC 2565 1854 or coach Gerry Hamill on 07718 746890.

The week after the All Saints show, Donnelly is expected to travel with the Irish team to Poland as he steps up his preparations for the Commonwealth Games, with his place in the Northern Ireland panel for the games in Glasgow confirmed last week.

Donnelly continued his winning streak recently when he won his contest for County Antrim, against a team from Spain.