DAVID OLIVER JOYCE scooped the boxer of the tournament award as Ireland took home four gold medals from the Elite Tammer Multi Nations in Tampere, Finland.
Joyce sparked an Irish gold rush when he won the lightweight division with a 15-11 victory against Joe Cordina of Wales on Sunday.
His St Michael’s Athy team-mate and cousin John Joe Joyce, Olympic medallist Ken Egan and Conrad Cummings also won gold while Ross Hickey and Con Sheehan added a brace of silver medals to Ireland’s medal haul.
“The entire squad boxed superbly all week and it is fantastic to be taking home four gold and two silver medals in our first Elite tournament since the Olympic Games in London,” team manager Eanna Green said.
“Overall, the entire squad produced some fantastic displays – young Michael Nevin also won one bout here – and we’re delighted with their performances.”
After watching his cousin land Ireland’s first gold of the weekend, John Joe Joyce needed a late rally to edge out home hopeful Antti Hietala. The Finn led 8-6 at the start of the final three-minute round before Joyce showed his class to win 12-10.
In the middleweight and light-heavyweight deciders, it was much more straightforward for Cummings and for Egan. Cummings scored two knock-downs in the final round against Henri Kekalainen of Finland before winning 22-9, while Egan denied another Finn when beating Tomi Honka 16-8.
Sam Maxwell, who beat Hickey 20-10 in the light-welterweight final, was named best technical boxer of the tournament. Sheehan was beaten 20-16 by Maxwell’s English team-mate Joe Joyce in the super-heavyweight gold medal bout.
