AmateurHeadline News

“The boy’s turning into a man now!” – Adam Hession not planning on giving up top spot


With three title wins in less than four months, Adam Hession feels he can confidently call himself the number one flyweight in Ireland.

The 18-year-old Galway puncher has won the Intermediate and Under-22 titles in recent months and went to the next level on Saturday when he won the National Elite Senior crown.

Hession has come of age and claimed Irish boxing’s biggest prize with a 4-1 split-decision win over Dubliner Evan Metcalfe.

Eight years his senior, Metcalfe had suggested beforehand that it would be man against boy but the Monivea teen was able to withstand the Hyland BA fighter’s biggest shots to take the win

Hession now believes he is in pole position to be Ireland’s 52kg representative going forward towards Tokyo 2020 and warns that Olympian Brendan Irvine and last year’s champ Conor Quinn, who both missed this tournament via injury, will not be able to walk straight back into the team for the European Games this summer.

“If I’m not the number one pick now then I want box-offs,” he told Irish-Boxing.com afterwards.

“I proved it here tonight, I weighed in, I boxed, had two good fights, beat last year’s 56kg champion, I feel that I am worthy of going to these tournaments and I hope to prove myself more out in Russia next week [at the European U22 Championships].”

Hession was riding high following the win over Metcalfe which saw him become Monivea’s first ever Elite champion – and the first of four Galway champions on the night.

Metcalfe’s comments beforehand, which admittedly weren’t a direct attack on Hession, made the victory that be sweeter.

“Man versus Boy, yeah,” he recalled with a smirk

“The boy’s turning into a man now! That’s all I’ll say about that.”

It was a dramatic fight – with Metcalfe disagreeing strongly with the final verdict – that featured an electric atmosphere as well as a controversial point deduction for Hession in the second repeated low blows.

The Connacht youngster stayed composed, however, and described how “I got deducted a point in the second round but I thought they were bodyshots, as clear as day. He had his shorts up a bit high.”

“It was still all there to win and to win a fight like that, after getting a point deducted, and I’m only 18 years old, I’m delighted with it.”

“There were some crowd down from Galway, four boxers in the finals it’s unreal, it’s top class.”

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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