By Jonny Stapleton

DARREN O’Neill over came Muideen Akanji without having to put in an effort as sizeable as As his tall Nigerian opponent in London today.

The Kilkenny puncher, who was cheered on by the Irish fans that had just seen John Joe Nevin progress to the last 16, made it a perfect start of the Irish Olympic boxing team with a 15-6 victory.
The world number 4 and his opponent shared a close and tentative first round with both guards effective. O’Neill piped that round 4-3, but really started to show his class in the second stanza. An increased effort and a his superior skill level saw the middleweight open up 12-5 advantage.
Once ahead O’Neill cruised the last round and booked his place in the last 16.