Keelogues native Bethany Doocey is one of the highest-rated boxers in the country and she enhanced her ever-growing reputation in claiming the Elite title at light heavyweight last January at the National Stadium in Dublin. It was her eighth national title overall.
The 21-year-old, who represents Castlebar Boxing Club, retained her title with a unanimous 5-0 victory over current European Youths gold medallist Dearbhla Tinnelly in the women’s 81kg final.
Her latest success not only makes her Castlebar BC’s most decorated pugilist and one and only Elite champion, but she has now done it twice.
The preparation of Bethany Doocey certainly reaped its reward; she had attended a three-day sparring camp in Edenderry where she was in the ring with the 80kg World Elite boxing champion from Lithuania and also the World and European Youth 75kg champion from Norway.
Bethany’s display was one of skill and savviness, showing experience beyond her years against Tinnelly, whose tactic to invite Doocey on and strike on the counter proved her undoing.
The Mayo woman landed a brilliant flurry of punches in the first and second rounds and having the edge in fitness in the third and final round, she caught Tinnelly with the cleanest of right hooks right on the nose of her opponent.
Doocey’s look of shock would suggest she may not have expected the win, but all in attendance would have had no uncertainty as to who was the deserved winner, notwithstanding that her opponent was also a World bronze medallist.
Not content with just that title, Bethany defeated Swinford’s Molly Rowley at the very same venue later in the year on another unanimous decision to add the U22 Irish title at 75kg to her collection.
