Boxing

Middleweight Darren O’Neill, bantamweight Joe Joe Nevin, and Michael Conlan are through to the quarter-finals of the AIBA World Boxing Championships after victories in the last 16. The wins qualify both boxers for the Olympics in 2012. O’Neill defeated Mladen Manev of Bulgaria in the last 16 to make the last eight. Nevin, the 2009 bantamweight […]

Joe Ward agonisingly lost out on a place at the London Olympics after losing on a countback to Ehsan Rouzbahani of Iran at the World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan this morning.   The current European light-heavyweight champion and Rouzbahani were tied at 15-15 at the end of the three rounds but the Iranian

Irish boxing will be looking for six of the best today as six Irish fighters battle it out for places at the London Olympics at the 2011 AIBA World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan this morning and afternoon. European light-heavyweight champion Joe Ward, the St Michael’s Athy BC pair of Roy Sheehan and David Oliver Joyce,

David Oliver Joyce turned in big second and third rounds to book his place into the last-16 of the AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan today.   The St Michael’s Athy lightweight shared the first frame 5-5 with Mohammad Khaiber of Afghanistan in today’s last-32 clash but pulled away in the second to

Darren O’Neill won a close contest in the last 32 of the middleweight division of the World Boxing Championships in Baku. O’Neill beat Mohammad Hikal (Egypt), who won bronze at the last World Boxing Championships in Milan. O’Neill had a two-point advantage at 4-2 going into the second round, and was 8-7 ahead at the end of round two. In

Roy Sheehan, Michael Conlan and Joe Ward are just one win away from qualifying for the 2012 Olympics following last-32 victories at the AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan but there was major disapointment when European light-welterweight champion Ray Moylette and Beijing Bronze medallist Paddy Barnes bowed out of the World Championships. Moylette lost 19-7

Roy Sheehan made it two wins out of two for Ireland at the AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Baku. The St Michael’s Athy welterweight came from being 4-3 down at the end of the first to register a 15-10 decision over Carl Hield of the Bahamas. He produced an excellent second round performance to move ahead 11-8

Ireland’s campaign at the 2011 AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers got off to a flying start in Azerbaijan this afternoon.   Michael Conlon , the St John Bosco BC flyweight beat 2011 European bronze medallist Alexandr Riscan of Moldova 25-12 in a last-64 bout in Baku. The 19-year-old, who was 17-8 up going into

Kenny Egan has drawn tough opposition for his heavyweight debut at the world championships in Baku. Egan has been seeded six from yesterday’s draw and gets a bye into the second and where he will meet the winner of the first round bout between Lubos Velecky (Czech Republic) and Jose Larduet (Cuba) next Monday. Larduet, a former

Irish boxing coach Zaur Antia met up with Pat Hickey and Stephen Martin before the upcoming AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Azerbaijan. Antia develped a great friendship with the OCI in Beijing. Pat Hickey wished Zaur and the Irish Team every success at the forthcoming AIBA Worlds, and in their quest to qualify for London 2012.

Top male amateur boxers will no longer be required to wear headguards after the launch of AIBA’s Professional Boxing (APB) programme in 2013. The world amateur boxing President Dr Ching Kuo Wu yesterday announced at a meeting in Kazakhstan they will be setting up APB pro-boxing divisions at world, European and national levels. Wu yesterday

Billy Walsh talks to Irish Examiner writer Keiran Shannon about the challenges of performing in London following the outstanding success of his boxers in Beijing .