Kelyn Cassidy will have woken up this morning with a grin that he can't quite shift from his face.
The Saviour's Crystals boxer claimed the Elite Senior National title overnight at the National Stadium, beating Tommy Hyde inside the first round.
64 seconds is all he needed to get his opponent out of the ring, with the referee needing to step in and call a halt to proceedings.
Opening the fight aggressively, Cassidy rocked and wobbled Hyde who looked unsure of his footing. It was a glancing overhand right that did the damage at first, and a standing ten count was needed before the referee was happy to allow the contest to proceed.
From the restart, Cassidy added fuel to the fire and went after Hyde who was still clearing some cobwebs after the initial onslaught. One more flurry of punches for the light heavyweight fighter left no question in the official's mind and he waved it off to the delight of Cassidy's coach Paul Simpson.
It has been nine years since a Waterford boxer last claimed a title at the senior elite level, with Lynne McHenry O' Shea going back-to-back-to-back in 2010, 11 & 12 at light flyweight.
The last time a male boxer climbed to the top of the national amateur game was in 2000.
Cassidy now has a date in the high-performance unit at Abootstown where he will be assessed this week with the view towards a qualification path for the upcoming World Championships and potentially the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
