Nolan wins Barnes and McCarthy suffer defeat

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Nolan wins Barnes and McCarthy suffer defeat

Adam Nolan qualified for the 2012 Olympics with a magnificent 19-10 semi-final win over Romania’s Ionut Gheorghe in Trabzon, Turkey today.

A top two finish was required to book Olympic tickets in the welterweight division.

And Bray BC southpaw Nolan, boxing out of the blue corner, did the business with a clinical display of counter-punching.

Round scoring:

(1) 7-5

(2) 8-3

(3) 4-2

An emotional Nolan, who went into the ring as an Irish international and came out of the squared circle as an Irish Olympian, said that he had realised a lifetime ambition.

“It’s just unbelievable, I can’t believe it, I just can’t believe it. It’s a boyhood dream,” said the Enniscorthy man, who works as a Garda in Bray.

Irish head coach Billy Walsh, who was working Ireland’s corner today along with Zuar Antia, said they were thrilled with the win.

“It was a fantastic result. I know his family. They are big GAA people, said Walsh, a former Irish Olympian.

“It’s massive for Wexford. He’s the second Wexford boxer ever to qualify for the Olympic Games, following after myself.

“It’s nice to see someone else take up the mantle and hopefully do a lot better than I did.”

Nolan now joins Paddy Barnes, Darren O’Neill, John Joe Nevin and Michael Conlan on the Irish team for the London 2012 Olympics.

Nolan, meanwhile, will meet Germany’s Patrick Wojcicki in Saturday’s welterweight final.

Both boxers secured Olympic berths by virtue of reaching the 69kg decider.

Meantime, Paddy Barnes was adjudged to have lost 21-14 to Turkish light-flyweight Ferhat Pehlivan in the light-flyweight class today. Both boxers qualified for the Olympics courtesy of reaching today’s semi-final.

Barnes was the aggressor in this three-rounder, and while he was tagged by a number of good counter-punches from the Turk, he threw the greater volume of leather throughout.

Dismissing the result after the fight, the Belfast light-fly, the 2010 European champion, said that he was happy with his performance.

There was further disappointment for Belfast after heavyweight Tommy McCarthy bowed out at the semi-final stage to Vladimir Cheles of Moldova early this evening.

McCarthy, who needed win gold to qualify for London, was 4-3 down after the first and 8-6 in arrears going into the third and final frame of a very tactical 91kg battle.

Cheles edged the last frame 6-7 to post a 15-12 verdict.

McCarthy, who has had a fine tournament in Trabzon, admitted that he was devastated by the defeat and added that four years (until the 2016 Olympics in Rio) was a long wait.

“I just waited too long from the first round and it was too late. The last round I was trying to put the pressure on but I should have been doing that for the full three rounds, said McCarthy.

“I’m just devastated, four years is a long wait, I’m gutted. At the end of the day, that’s what counts isn’t it? I can’t make any excuses, he done the job on the day and I didn’t.”

Today’s results confirm that Ireland will have five male boxers at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Paddy Barnes (light-flyweight), Michael Conlan (flyweight) John Joe Nevin (bantamweight), Adam Nolan (welterweight) and Darren O’Neill (middleweight) will represent Ireland in the English capital this summer.

The Trabzon tournament is the final Olympic qualifier for European male boxers. Twenty six places, two of which have gone to Ireland,are up for grabs at the qualifiers.

The next -and final – Olympic qualifier for Ireland will be at the AIBA World Women’s Championships in China next month.

Ireland will be targeting three places at the London Games in the three Olympic weights for women of flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.

Katie Taylor will be aiming for her fourth AIBA World lightweight title in-a-row in China.

AIBA European Olympic Qualifiers Trabzon, Turkey

April 15th (Evening) (last 32)

60kg: David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Joe Cordina (Wales) RET3

81kg: Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Kennedy Katende (Sweden) 16-6

April 16th (Afternoon) (last 16)

64kg: Ross Hickey (Ireland) lost to Dimitri Galagot (Moldova) 11-24

69kg: Adam Nolan (Ireland) beat Thomasz Kot (Poland) 14-9

April 16th (Evening) (last 16)

81kg: Joe Ward (Ireland) lost to Bahran Muzaffer (Turkey) 15-18 (result was the subject of a protest by IABA)