Donegal’s Willie McLaughlin claimed the welterweight place on the Ireland team for next month’s European Elite Championships following a close win over the St Michael’s Athy fighter John Joe Joyce in Saturday morning’s box-off finals at the National Stadium.
McLaughlin, who boxes out of the Illies GG club, had one point to spare over John Joe Joyce, the Donegal man winning 9-8 in the welterweight class.
The IABA used the box-offs to decided the 60kg and 69kg places on the Ireland team for the 2011 European Elite Championships which begin in Ankara, Turkey, on 14 June.
The ten-man Ireland squad will travel to Sheffield tomorrow for a training camp with Britain, Poland and Estonia. The squad will return home on 5 June before travelling to Ankara on 11 June.
Ireland claimed five medals, one gold, one silver and three bronze at the 2010 European Elite Championships in Moscow, finishing second in the medals table behind Russia.
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