Magnificent Seven bid to make Olympic History
Seven Irish boxers shoot for Olympic qualification in what could be a historic day for Irish boxing today.
Nine Irish fighters in total are in action and all nine could come away with a European Games but Aoife O’Rourke and Jack Marley will need another win to ensure a place on the plane to Paris.
Ashbourne’s Jennifer Lehane will be the first to try and make Poland a Paris pit stop as she competes in the 54kg quarter finals.
Standing between her and an Olympic slot is Stanimira Petrova a decorated Bulgarian who has a European Games, two European Championships and a World Championship gold medal in her trophy cabinet.
Olympic champ Kellie Harrington will continue her quest to reach a second Games, meeting Agnes Alexiusson of Sweden, a fighter she defeated by split decision at the Usti nad Labem Grand Prix-Final in May.
It’s Team GB’s Rosie Eccles for a place on the podium and in Paris for Amy Broadhurst up at welterweight.
The in-form Dean Clancy faces Gianluigi Malanga in his last-eight clash. Defeat the Italian champion and the Sligo native, who competed at the Youth Olympics will become an Olympian.
Kelyn Cassidy will have to beat an Olympic medal winner if he is to make it to Paris at the first attempt. The Waterford wonder faces Oleksandr Khzyhniak a Ukrainian light heavyweight who won a silver medal at the last Olympic Games.
Flyweight Daina Moorehouse, who has been massively impressive throughout the tournament, meets a fighter hoping to secure qualification for her home Games. The underage graduate and Paris Scholar faces Wassila Lkhadiri of France.
Micheala Walsh is another vying to become a two-time Olympian. The Belfast fighter with seven major medals on her mantle piece could make it eight with a win over Dane Melissa Juvonen Mortensen.
O’Rourke and Marley also fight for medals, the Roscommon native fights Love Nelli Holgersson of Sweden while Marley fights Croatia’s Marko Calic, a pro boxer with a 14-1 record.
