Head To Head- Joyce v McComb the rematch
By IABA Press Officer Bernard O’Neill
60kg (Lightweight) Final – Sean McComb v David Oliver Joyce
Defending champion Sean McComb and David Oliver Joyce have collected seven Irish Elite belts between them over the last nine years ahead of Friday’s head-to-head for All-Ireland supremacy in the 60kg class, which is one of the nine weights Irish boxing will be targeting for an Olympic berth in 2016.
The Holy Trinity BC and St Michael’s Athy BC lightweights have crossed swords once.
That was in the 2014 Elite final, a fight which Joyce won on a split decision. The St Michael’s Athy man inked a contract with AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) in October 2014 and was ineligible for the 2015 Championships. APB boxers are not allowed enter National Championships unless the tournament is part of an Olympic qualification process.
A year prior to the head-to-head between the Ulster and Leinster pair, which was scored on the 10-point must system, McComb won his first belt after beating George Bates 19-7 under the computer scoring system. He reclaimed the belt last January on a split decision over Bates.
McComb secured bronze at the inaugural European Games last June, the rangy Belfast southpaw asking quite a few questions of former AIBA World Elite champion Albert Selimov in the last-four in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Likewise, Joyce, who has won his five Elite belts at three different weights, is no stranger to putting ex AIBA World Elite champions under severe pressure, the Irish orthodox beating 2009 World gold medallist Domenico Valentino twice, once in AIBA Open Boxing before following that up with victory over the Italian in the World Series of Boxing.
Joyce will be targeting a double hat-trick on Friday over three, three minute rounds, McComb aiming for a hat-trick. Both men have represented their country at two World Elite Championships each. Joyce is the only Irish boxer beside Rio 2016 Olympian Joe Ward to win gold at the Chemistry Cup.
Sean McComb
Age: 24
Club: Holy Trinity BC (Belfast)
Stance: Southpaw
Major honours
2013: Irish Elite champion
2013: AIBA World Elite Championships (Kazakhstan) – last 16
2015: Irish Elite champion
2015: 1st European Games (Azerbaijan) – Bronze
2015 AIBA World Elite Championships (Qatar) – last 16
David Oliver Joyce
Age: 28
Club: St Michael’s Athy (Kildare) & AIBA Pro Boxing (APB)
Stance: Orthodox
Major Honours
Irish Elite champion: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014
2009 AIBA World Elite Championships (Italy) – last 16
2011 AIBA World Elite Championships (Azerbaijan) – last 16
European Union champion: 2008 (Poland), 2009 (Denmark), 2014 (Bulgaria)
Chemistry Cup champion: 2014 (Germany)