Matthew McCole blasts way into National Elite Competition final in Belfast

Matthew McCole powered this way into the final of the 2025 National Elite Competition in Belfast.

On Tuesday night in Belfast, Illies Golden Gloves light-middleweight McCole blasted past JoJo McArdle of Holy Trinity ABC.

The Dungloe native won via a unanimous decision and will now meet old foe Eugene McKeever of the Holy Family Boxing Club in Drogheda in Thursday night’s final at the Girdwood Community Hub.

McKeever overcame Illies Golden Gloves’ Cahir Gormley, also on a unanimous decision, meaning there won’t be an all-Illies 70kgs final.

McKeever defeated McCole in a National Championship quarter-final last November having trumped in a semi-final the previous year.

McCole also lost out to McKeever in an Ulster Championship final in 2020 and semi-final in 2021 - but the Donegal puncher has been in good form of late.

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McCole won on his senior international debut recently when he defeated Austria’s Rahman Altamirov in Enniskillen.

McCole, a seven-time Irish champion through his career, stopped Altamirov in the second round of their 71kgs clash and earlier in the year won his sixth Irish Colleges title when beating Daniel Henriksson in the senior light-middleweight final.