Narrow defeatfor Joel in semi-final

The result at the end of the fight was 13-13 each but it was opponent, Michael Nevin announced as winner following the countback result of 40-39.

All Saints trainer Gerry Hammill told the Times that the fight will give Joel good experience for the future.

Gerry said: “The result is disappointing for us but at the same time it was very unlucky as Joel pushed him all the way.

“We introduced Joel to this level to gain experience and his journey to the semi-final gave him that.

“To bring and experienced fighter like Nevin so close and lose on a countback is hard for us to take.”

However Gerry said that Joel was keen to take the positives from this result, he added: “Joel can be a bit of a slow starter in fights and he would tell you that himself. He always finishes with a flourish and that was the story of the last three fights.

“He left nothing in the ring and gave it his all but he now knows what it takes.

“Joel has a lot going for him but this disappointment has shown him that to take that step up in class he needs to work harder.

“He is a committed lad but it’s experiences like these that show what needs to be done in the ring and before the fight.”

Next up for Joel is an exciting match at the Europa Hotel on January 25 against a team from Washington DC. This particular match is against an American fighter who got the better of Joel in the states recently and now he gets his chance for a rematch.

The future fighters of All Saints Boxing club have an interesting weekend with a trip to Donegal in the nine counties competition.

Young boxers, Curtis Greer, Sean Kelly and Dean Hughes are all in action with Gerry and the other trainers looking forward to them competing.