‘The Job is not Finished’ Declares Dean Clancy
Dean Clancy put the champagne on ice after registering one of the wins of his young senior international career in Poland on Sunday.
The Sligo native registered his second win in the latest European Games installment when he beat the experienced Malik Hasanov of Azerbaijan.
The victory moved him to within one win of a medal and thus leaves him one win shy of Olympic qualification, which in turn means it was a victory he wasn’t overly keen to celebrate.
Clancy says the goal is to get to Paris and points out that, that hasn’t been achieved as of yet.
🗣️ “I’m absolutely buzzing at the moment, the job is not finished though, I’ve one more to qualify, that’s the first goal of mine.”@dean_clancy reacts to his round of 16 victory. He has his eyes set on a place in Paris 👀🤩🥊https://t.co/RtfpIm3hr5#TeamIreland | #EG2023 pic.twitter.com/E3HdvxchwN
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) June 25, 2023
Clancy, Ireland’s 63.5kg representative, claimed the first round in a 4-1 split, and both boxers battled it out for the remaining rounds. The judges scored the bout 28:29, 28:29, 29:28, 29:28, 28: 29 to give Clancy his second win of the tournament. The Westerner now fights for a place don’t eh podium on Wednesday against Italy’s Gianluigi Malanga.
71kg Dean Walsh celebrated his 29th birthday today, but suffered heartbreak in the ring. He met Italy’s Salvatore Cavallaro (ITA) in bout 8 of Ring A’s evening session. The Wexford man started out strongly, but sustained a nasal injury and a subsequent standing count in the first half of the first round. The ringside medic attended to the injury twice during the remainder of the bout. Walsh battled through the injury, but every round was adjudged a split – and that was the final score: 30: 27, 28: 29, 29:28, 29: 28, 28: 29.
“Both Dean Clancy and Dean Walsh can be proud of their performances today. Dean Clancy is one of the youngest members of the team, and now has two European Games wins under his belt. He has shown his style, stamina and technical ability to great effect. Wednesday is a red-letter day for him. He is ready. Dean Walsh was on the wrong side of a dreaded 3:2 split; I felt he had done more than enough to win the bout, despite a bleeding facial injury. He is a skilled and resilient boxer, and his time will come,” said Head Coach, Zauri Antia.