O’Neil, Nevin and Conlon qualify for London 2012 today

Ireland will have at least three boxers at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

 

Darren O’Neill, John Joe Nevin and Michael Conlan qualified for the 30th Olympiad by virtue of reaching the quarter-finals at the World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan today.

But Joe Ward and the St Michael’s Athy pair of David Oliver Joyce and Roy Sheehan lost out just one win away from booking their tickets for the London Games.

 

Tipperary super-heavyweight Con Sheehan also lost today after he was retired in round three versus Italy’s Roberto Cammerelle. The Italian claimed gold at the 2008 Olympics and is a two-time AIBA World champion.

 

Conlan staged a magnificent comeback to beat French 2008 Olympian and 2007 AIBA World bronze medalist, Nordine Ouabaali. The Belfast flyweight was trailing 6-4 at the end of the first but leveled the bout at 11-11 going into the third before racking up a 20-17 verdict, his third win in Baku against quality opposition.

 

The St John Bosco BC ace will meet current European champion, Andrew Selby of Wales, in Wednesday’s quarter-final.

 

Round scoring: R1, 4-6. R2: 7-5. R3, 9-6 (20-17)

 

Meanwhile, David Oliver Joyce produced an heroic display only to cruelly lose out in the last few seconds to a harsh public warning.

Joyce was locked at 30-30 with India’s Jai Bhagwan when he was penalised for pushing with 4 seconds remaining and ceded two points, a decision that handed Bhagwan victory and a place at the 2012 Olympics.

 

Sheehan, who has bravely fought back into contention for a place on the Irish side after being out for over two years with hand injuries, also left everything in the ring but was on the wrong end of an 11-7 verdict versus Egidijus Kavaliauskas of Lithuania in the welterweight class.

 

Twenty-two-year-old John Joe Nevin, who was the youngest member of the Irish 2008 Olympic squad, booked his ticket for London after earning a count back decision over Mongolian bantamweight Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu following an 18-18 tie.

Nevin, who took standing counts in the first and second rounds, was trailing by two points going into the third but fought back magnificently to level the contest at 18-18 before having his hand raised in triumph on accepted scores.

 

He’ll now face Orzubek Shayimov of Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals tomorrow, two years after he claimed bronze at the 2009 AIBA World Championships in Milan.

 

Round scoring: R1, 4-4. R2, 7-9. R3, 7-5 (18-18) c/b

 

(No count back scores are available at this time).

 

O’Neill, who is a roommate with Nevin in Baku, qualified for London with a well deserved 19-12 victory over Mladen Manev of Bulgaria.

The Kilkenny southpaw, who beat Manev 6-0 en route to silver at the 2010 European Championships in Moscow, will meet Ryota Murata of Japan in the quarter-finals tomorrow.

 

O’Neill is the second Irish middleweight to qualify for the Olympic Games in-a-row. The late Darren Sutherland represented Ireland at the 2008 Games in Beijing where he won a bronze medal in the middleweight class.

 

Round scoring. R1 6-4. R2 7-5. R3 6-3 (19-12)

 

Earlier today, Joe Ward agonisingly lost out on a place at the Olympics after being edged out on a countback versus Ehsan Rouzbahani of Iran.

 

The current European light-heavyweight champion and Rouzbahani were tied at 15-15 at the end of the three rounds but the Iranian got the nod on accepted scores.

 

Both boxers received public warnings for holding in the second and third rounds by Uzbekistani referee Dahodir Jumaniyazov. The first frame ended level at 4-4 but Rouzbahini was 12-8 up going into the third.

 

Ward won the third 7-3 to tie the bout at 15-15, but Rouzbahini was handed a ticket for the 2012 London Games on a count back.

 

Round scoring: R1, 4-4. R2, 8-4. R3, 3-7 (15-15) c/b

 

(No count back score are available at this time).

 

“I’m really, really disappointed. I just can’t believe that I’ve been beaten. Four of the judges had me winning (in the last round) and one judge had me losing and I lost on a count back. It’s devastating, said Ward.

 

“I wasn’t stepping back as usual, counter punching. I don’t know what really happened, what came over me at that time.

 

“That definitely destroyed the fight, added Ward in relation to his public warning. “I didn’t deserve it. He was doing most of the holding and pulling.”

 

Joe Ward

 

Meanwhile, Ward, Joyce and Roy Sheehan will qualify for London if the opponents that beat them today reach the light-heavy, welter and lightweight finals.

 

Sixty four places at the London Olympics were won in Baku today.

 

2011 AIBA World Men’s Championships Baku, Azerbaijan

 

September 27th

 

52Kg: (last 64) Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) beat Alexandr Riscan (Moldova) 25-12

 

September 29th

 

69Kg: (last 64) Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy) beat Carl Hield (Bahamas) 15-10

 

September 30th

 

64Kg: (last 64) Ray Moylette (St Anne’s) beat Arturs Ahmetous (Latvia) 16-11

 

October 1st (last 64)

 

75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) beat Glodi Eneste (Norway) 16-5

 

60Kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy) beat Mohammad Momevand (Iran) 23-11

 

October 2nd (last 32)

 

52Kg:Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) beat Olzhas Sattibayev (Kazakhstan) 18-17

 

64Kg: Ray Moylette (St Anne’s) lost to Manoj Kumar (India) 7-19

 

69Kg: Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy) beat Borna Katalinic (Croatia) 21-17

 

81Kg: Joe Ward (Moate) beat Dilovarsho Abdurakhmanov (Tajikistan) 22-4

 

91+Kg: Con Sheehan (Clonmel) beat Faruth Kalonov (Tajikistan) RSC2

 

October 3rd (last 32)

 

49Kg: Paddy Barnes (Holy Family) lost to Mark Barriga (Philippines) 12-20

 

56Kg: John Joe Nevin (Cavan) beat Akhil Kumar (India) 21-14

 

60Kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy) beat Mohammad Khaiber (Afghanistan) 26-13

 

75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) beat Mohamad Hikal (Egypt) 15-13

 

91Kg: Ken Egan (Neilstown) lost to Jose Gomez Larduet (Cuba) RET3

 

October 4th (Last 16)

 

52Kg: Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) beat Nordine Oubaali (France) 20-17

 

56Kg: John Joe Nevin (Cavan) beat Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu (Mongolia) 18-18 count back

 

69Kg: Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy) lost to Egidijus Kavaliauskas (Lithuania) 7-11

 

60kg; David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy) lost to Jai Bhagwan (India) 30-32

 

75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) beat Mladen Manev (Bulgaria) 19-12

 

81Kg: Joe Ward (Moate) lost to Ehsan Rouzbahani (Iran) 15-15 count back

 

91+Kg: Con Sheehan (Clonmel) lost to Roberto Cammerelle (Italy) RET3

 

(No count back scores available)

 

October 5th – Quarter-finals

 

52Kg: Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) v Andrew Selby (Wales) (evening)

 

56Kg: John Joe Nevin (Cavan) v Orzubek Shayimov (Uzbekistan) (afternoon)

 

75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) v Ryota Murata (Japan) (afternoon)