‘I want to box the best’: Ballyshannon’s Byrne toasts Irish intermediate title

Ballyshannon man Danny Byrne wants to keep on climbing the ranks after winning an Irish intermediate title at the weekend.

The 22-year-old, who is now boxing with Dublin Docklands, defeated Brandon McKelvie in the super-heavyweight final at the National Stadium.

“I was over the moon to win,” Byrne told Donegal Live.

Two years ago, Byrne joined Dublin Docklands having been a late-starter at Ballyshannon Boxing Club. It was with the Erneside club that he first cut his teeth under the watch of Gerry Lally and Stephen McElhinney.

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic curbed his initial development, but a trip to Cuba, where he trained and sparred in one of the world’s leading nations for amateur boxing, helped to forge a link with the Whelan brothers, James and Jason.

Now coached by Philip Keogh and the team at the North Wall-based Dublin Docklands, Byrne could now turn his focus to the Elite Championships in early 2026.

“I just want to box against the best,” he says. “I really just want to build up my amateur resume. I’d like to turn pro, but I want to keep growing in the amateurs now.”

Byrne defeated Clonard’s BC’s McKelvie on a 4-1 split decision in Saturday’s 90+kgs final.

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That came after Byrne opened up with super victory over Conan Dillon (Kinsale) in the quarter-final. Byrne KO’d Dillon in the third round.

Byrne blasted his way to a unanimous decision win against George St Ledger (Spartan) in his semi-final with McKelvie stopping Malachy Duffy (Virginia) in the second round of the other semi.