Rio bound Barnes and Conlan return to heroes welcome

Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan returned home from their World Series of Boxing (WSB) heroics with Italia Thunder in Venezuela via Dublin Airport today.

The Belfast duo secured two quota places for the Rio Olympics are recording split and unanimous decisions away to Venezuela on Saturday.

Seventeen Olympic places are – the rest will be decided this weekend – up for grabs in the WSB Individual Ranking Series this season. Ireland, courtesy of Barnes and Conlan, have secured two of those berths.

Billy Walsh and John Conlan were working the Irish corners in Venezuela.

Ireland’s WSB boxers this season are Barnes, Conlan and Adam Nolan (Italia Thunder), Steven Donnelly (Hussars of Poland) and Gary Sweeney and Dean Gardiner (Mexico).

So far, Ireland’s boxers have won 19 of their 22 outings in the WSB this term – an 86% strike rate.

Donnelly, who was very unlucky not to qualify for Rio, and Nolan will be in action in the last weekend of the WSB regular season this weekend.