Shea Neary, known as "The Shamrock Express", will be in Dublin on Thursday morning to go through a sparring session at the National Stadium as part of a build-up to a 13-bout bill at the same venue on June 19th where he will defend his World Boxing Union light welterweight title against Mike Griffith from Ohio.
Liverpool-born Neary has chosen Dublin because it is where both of his parents were born. The bout will be over 12 three-minute rounds at 10st - 140lbs.
It is probable that the supporting bouts will attract more attention with Michael Carruth, Cathal O'Grady, Jim Rock, Paul Griffin and Willie Valentine included on the bill. Details of their opponents will be released later. English, Welsh and South African boxers are also included on the bill.
Meanwhile, Irish amateur boxers won gold and silver medals at a multi-nations tournament in Liverpool at the weekend, highlighted by John Kinsella gold-winning performance against Ian Millarie from Scotland.
Swimming: Ireland's top sprinter Nick O'Hare admits to being frustrated and puzzled following his disappointing attempt to attain European qualifying marks for the 50 and 100 metres events at the Grand Prix finals in Sheffield last weekend.
The Dubliner, who trains full-time in Hamburg, said yesterday: "It must be something small in technique." He now feels it is time to sit down and have his position scrutinised with the national coach, Ger Doyle, and Swim Ireland's director of swimming, Dave McCullough.
Tennis: Sorensen, that most illustrious of Irish tennis names, is poised to bridge a generation gap and make a fresh impact here. Kevin Sorsenen was a three-year-old when his father, Sean, was teaming up with Matt Doyle against the might of John McEnroe's US Davis Cup team at a packed RDS in 1984. Sorensen returns to Ireland this week from Germany in the role of a tennis parent as his son prepares to stake a claim on ATP points during this week's ITF Futures event at Riverview.
