European Olympic Qualifier – Semi Final details
By Bernard O’Neill – IABA Press Officer
Fights to be streamed live on RTE Player and on Boxnation TV
Katie Taylor (12.30pm,) Brendan Irvine (4pm) and David Oliver Joyce (4.45pm) are in action (Irish times apply) in the last-four of the tournament tomorrow one victory each away from qualifying for Rio 2016.
“Katie, David and Brendan are in great spirits and looking ahead to Friday’s bouts. It will be another massive day for Irish boxing,“ said team manager Joe Hennigan.
If any of the Irish trio win they’ll qualify automatically for Rio. The losing male semi-finalists box-off for Olympic places this weekend, as the top three (finalists and winners of box-offs) in each of the ten male weights book tickets for the 31st Olympiad.
The top two females (the finalists) in each of the three Olympic weights for women – flyweight, lightweight and middleweight – qualify. The losing female semi-finalists box-off for 3rd and 4th place position on Saturday and Sunday.
Thirty six Olympic places – 30 for men and 6 for women – are up for grabs in Turkey.
The finals will be held on Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the box-offs. However, with Olympic berths up for grabs, Friday’s semi-finals are effectively the finals, with the exception of the box-offs for Rio places.
Samsun brings the curtain down on the Continental phase of the qualification process following the completion of the Americas, African and Asia/Oceania tournaments earlier this month and last.
Three qualifiers remain after this weekend. The first will be the World Women’s Elite Championships – the last qualifier for females – in Astana, Kazakhstan (May 19/27), followed by a world qualifier (for men) in Baku, Azerbaijan (June 14/16).
The final qualifier will be a World Series of Boxing (WSB) versus AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) tournament at a date and host city to be confirmed in either late June or early July.
The Olympic Games begin in Rio on August 5.
European Olympic Qualifiers Samsun, Turkey
April 9th
Preliminaries
64kg Dean Walsh (Ireland) beat Erik Agataljan (Czech Republic) 3-0
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) beat Simen Nysater (Norway) 3-0
April 11th
Last 16
51kg Ceire Smith (Ireland) beat Virginia Barankas (Hungary) 3-0
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat Hamza Touba (Germany) 3-0
64kg Dean Walsh (Ireland) lost to Lorenzo Sotomayor (Azerbaijan) 1-2
60kg Katie Taylor (Ireland) beat Martina Schmoranzova (Czech Republic) 3-0
75kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) beat Nouchka Fontijan (Netherlands) 2-0
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) lost to Mahammadrausl Majidor (Azerbaijan) 0-3
April 12th
Last 16
60kg David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Otar Eranosyan (Georgia) 3-0
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Ireland) lost to Ilari Kijala (Finland) 0-3
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) beat Gabriel Richards (Sweden) TKO1
April 13th
Q/Finals
51kg Ceire Smith (Ireland) lost to Tetyna Kob (Ukraine) 1-2
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat Ellie Konki (France) 2-1
60kg Katie Taylor (Ireland) beat Yvonne Rasmussen (Denmark) 3-0
60kg David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Vazgen Sufaryants (Belarus) 3-0
75kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) lost to Petra Scatmari (Hungary) 0-3
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) lost to Abdulkadir Abdullayev (Azerbaijan) 1-2
April 15th
S/Finals
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) v Narek Abgaryan (Armenia)
52kg Muhammad Ali (Great Britain) v Daniel Asenov (Bulgaria)
60kg Katie Taylor (Ireland) v Yana Alexseevna (Azerbaijan)
60kg Svetlana Staneva (Bulgaria) v Irma Tessa (Italy)
60kg David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) v Joe Cordina (Great Britain)
60kg Sofiane Oumiha (France) v Volkan Gokcek (Turkey)
Irish squad
Female
51kg Ceire Smith (Cavan)
60kg Katie Taylor (Bray)
75kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans)
Male
52kg Brendan Irvine (St Pauls)
60kg David Oliver Joyce (AIBA Pro Boxing)
64kg Dean Walsh (St Joesphs/St Ibars)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise)
91kg Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team manager: Joe Hennigan
Coaches: Zaur Antia, Eddie Bolger, John Conlan
Physiotherapist: Julianne Ryan
Sports Psychologist: Gerry Hussey
Doctor: Jim Clover
Performance Analyst: Alan Swanton