Boxing:Ken Egan was crowned Irish senior champion for the tenth year in a row after a convincing 8-5 points win over Belfast light heavyweight Tommy McCarthy at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight.
The Neilstown southpaw was handed a decision after three rounds at the home of Irish boxing in a repeat of the 2009 final which the Olympic silver medalist won well.
The win matched boxing legend's Mick Dowling's record (1968 to 75) run of winning eight senior titles in a row in the same weight category (Bantamweight).
And Egan, who won his first two belts at middleweight, also matches Jim O'Sullivan's run of ten non-consecutive senior title wins between 1980 and 1990.
O'Sullivan, of the St Patrick's club in Enniscorthy who missed the 83 finals because of injury, presented Egan with his belt and trophy last night from inside the ring.
Dowling, a two time Irish Olympian (Mexico 1968 and Munich 1972), who was once ranked third in the World, hailed Egan's incredibly run after his win.
He said: "I would like to congratulate Kenneth on a fantastic achievement. After three and a half decades it was time that somebody did it and I'm delighted for him. I think he can now go on and win eleven in a row - he's that kind of boxer."
Beijing Olympian John Joe Joyce beat defending champion Willie McLaughlin 12-9 to claim the welterweight belt from a cracking 69kg contest which was level at 3-3 at the end of the first and 6-6 at the end of the second.
Joyce, from the St Michael's Athy club, finally began to put some daylight between himself and McLaughlin in the third despite the best effort of the Donegal man in the final 60 seconds.