MEDAL ALERT – Five Wins, One Medal and One Surprise Exit on Day 2 of Euro U23 Championships
Team Ireland has rounded-off the second day of action at the European U23 Championships in Hungary with 5 wins, and a second medal.
80+kg Cliona D’Arcy has won at least a bronze following her 5-0 quarter final win over Ukraine’s Viktoriia Shcherbyna. Cliona was the stronger boxer throughout, and the final scores were: 28:29; 27:30; 27:30; 27:30; 27:30. The Westener will box for an up-grade on Friday against Turkey’s Türkmen Hikmetgul. D’Arcy’s medal is Team Ireland’s second of the tournament – 48kg Tiffany Spencer has a bronze, at minimum, by way of a bye to the semi-finals.
65kg Roy Colgan is a quarter finalist, following a 3-2 split decision win over Denis Bril of Germany, scored 30:26; 29:27; 27:29; 28:28 *; 27:29. The Avona boxer will box for a medal on Thursday, against Ukraine’s Artur Kuzmenko.
70kg Tadgh O’Donnell is one win away from a medal following a dominant 5-0 win over Croatia’s Petar Kresimir Knezevic – his second win on the trot. Judges scored that bout: 27:30; 27:30; 26:30; 27:30; 27:30. The Four Kings talent boxes for a medal tomorrow, against Welsh boxer Orlando Holley-Sotomi.
60kg Rebecca Kavanagh has won through to the quarter finals, following victory over Latvia’s Laura Jakovleva in tight contest, which was awarded to Rebecca 3-2. Judges scored the bout 29:28; 29:28; 27:30; 28:29; 29:28. The Dubliner boxes for a medal against Lithuania’s Beatricé Savickaite tomorrow.
60kg Gavin Ryan claimed a quarter final berth by way of a unanimous decision win over Greece’s Georgios Pleas. Judges scored the bout 28:29; 28:29; 27:30; 27:30; 27:30. He’s back in action tomorrow, boxing for a medal against Taghi Nasibov of Azerbaijan.
Patsy Joyce exits the championships on DSQ following a high-tempo, tumultuous bout against Ukraine’s Maksym Zymenko, which included a standing count for Zymenko in the second round, and point deductions for the Irish boxer in all three rounds. The score cards, reflecting deductions: 17:19; 16:20; 17:19; 16:20; 18:18.
A valiant performance by 51kg Rachel Lawless in her opening bout but not to be on this occasion. The 5-decision went to her opponent, Spain’s Salmeron Gutierrez on a scoreline of 30:27; 29:28; 29:28; 30:27; 30:27.
The competition schedule is available here
271 boxers from 32 federatons are contesting for gold at this inaugural confederation level World Boxing U23 championships. Competing federations are: Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
