Reigning Ulster senior middleweight champion, Caoimhin Hynes is moving down to welterweight for the crucial National Elite Seniors this Winter – and a potential gateway to Olympic qualification.

Speaking to the Irish news, the Holy Trinity boxer has fired the first verbal blow at Antrim rival Steven Donnelly. 18 year old Hynes admits there is a bit of needle between the pair, and that the Ballymena boxer “tried to get into my head a bit in the past.”

On the 2014 Commonwealth bronze medalist, Hynes was complimentary to a degree, but believes that the current National Champion , Adam Nolan, would be a tougher test. Hynes elaborated that “Steven’s very good and if he goes into the Irish seniors it’ll be very hard to beat him – but the man to beat at the weight is Adam Nolan.”

“I think Donnelly would suit me better because he comes to you, whereas Adam is a very awkward boxer – but, no matter who you’re fighting, you have to have the game-plan to beat them.”

On the Wexford man and 2012 Olympian, Hynes explained that “I got to spar him when the Irish team were at Jordanstown in May and it was a very good spar”

“I learned a lot from being in with him. I know what I would do if I was fighting him. Nolan’s a sensational talent and it would be good to be in the ring with him.”

If Adam Nolan does not qualify for Rio 2016 via the World Championships in October it would certainly set up a tasty battle between the trio for the National Elite Senior title in December – and entry to the all-important Olympic Qualifiers next year.