Golden Double For Ireland

Ray Moylette and Joe Ward won double gold at the European Senior Championships in Ankara, Turkey today – and both by eight point margins.

 

Moylette is the new European light-welterweight champion following a magnificent 18-10 win over England’s Thomas Stalker.

 

And Ward, who at 17 is one of the youngest champions in the 87-year history of the European Championships,  followed that up with a 20 -12 win over Russian light-heavyweight Nikita Ivanov.

 

Ward, who boxes out of the Moate BC in Westmeath, claimed the first round 7-3 and was 15-6 up at the end of the second, a frame in which Ivanov ceded two points after receiving a public warning for a low blow.

 

The Russian was pouring forward for most of this contest. However, it was Ward’s accurate counter-punching that captured the eyes of the judges and the European 81Kg gold medal.

 

Twenty-one-year-old Moylette, who boxes out of the St Anne’s BC in Westport (Mayo) shared the first round 5-5 with the busy Liverpudlian, a silver medal at the 2010 European Championships and the current Commonwealth champion.

 

However, Moylette, working comfortably behind his trade mark high guard, fired home some quality body shots and left and right hooks in the second to command a 12-8 advantage at the bell.

 

Stalker, continued to throw a lot of ordnance  in the third, but his punches lacked quality and accuracy and Moylette kept picking him off on the counter, one thudding left hook finding the target  as Stalker was loading up mid-way through the frame.

 

I’m absolutely thrilled with the win, absolutely thrilled, ” said the 2008 AIBA World Youth champ, who did a handstand in celebration in the ring immediately after his historic victory.

 

Today’s victories arrive one year after Paddy Barnes claimed European light-flyweight gold at the European Championships in Moscow to bridge a 19-year gap since Paul Griffin won our last (male) gold at European level in 1991.

 

Barnes was unable to compete in Turkey because of a hand injury.

 

Katie Taylor is the current European champion and has won four European titles in a row.

 

*Dubliner Paddy Ingle won gold at the 1939 European Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin aged 17. Paddy Dowdall won gold the same day.*

 

 

 

 

European Championships Ankara, Turkey

June 24th Finals

64Kg: Ray Moylette (St Anne’s) beat Thomas Stalker (England) 18-10

81Kg: Joe Ward (Moate) beat Nikita Ivanov (Russia) 20-12