Nolan looking to maintain unbeaten WSB record
London 2012 Olympian Adam Nolan will be aiming to improve to two wins from two for Italia Thunder in the World Series of Boxing in Italy on Saturday.
The Bray BC southpaw, the current Irish Elite champion, meets Kazakh welter Aslanbek Shymbrgnov looking the secure a second victory which could help Thunder beat the Astana Arlans, who had Eric Donovan in their ranks in 2012, in the final weekend of the WSB regular season.
Shymbrgnov is ranked No. 18 in the 69kg table, one place ahead of Nolan going into Saturday’s five-rounder in Bergamo. Both men are on four points.
Irish head coach Billy Walsh believes that the Nolan, who has warmly congratulated his Irish and Italia Thunder team-mates Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan on securing Olympic quota places in Venezuela last weekend, versus Shymbrgnov clash will be technical.
“He’s a tall boxer like Adam, an orthodox. I expect that it will be a very technical contest between two skilful boxers,” said Walsh, who will be working the corner of his fellow Wexford-native at the weekend.
Russia’s Radzhab Butaev and Morocco’s Muhammed Rabii have secured the two Olympic quota places in the welterweight class. Ireland’s Stephen Donnelly, who is in action for the Hussars of Poland in Poland tomorrow, is in third spot.
