Ireland’s nine-strong Elite team arrived home from the 17th AIBA World Elite Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan through Dublin Airport at the weekend.
“Jason and Joe gave it absolutely everything in their finals and semi-finals and you couldn’t ask for anything more. They can both be very proud of the medals they have won.
“The entire squad gave it their all at the tournament. They represented their country with pride against the top boxing nations in the world and they are a credit to their clubs and Irish boxing.”
Ireland finished in joint 6th spot in the medals table and in 7th spot in the rankings table in Almaty.
52kg – Flyweight – Paddy Barnes (Holy Family BC, Belfast)
56kg – Bantamweight – Michael Conlan (St John Bosco BC, Belfast)
60kg – Lightweight – Sean McComb (Holy Trinity BC, Belfast)
64kg – Light-welterweight – Ray Moylette (St Anne’s BC, Mayo)
69kg – Welterweight – Adam Nolan (Bray BC, Co, Wicklow)
75kg – Middleweight – Jason Quigley (Finn Valley BC, Donegal) (Silver)
81kg – Light –heavyweight – Joe Ward (Moate BC, Co. Westmeath) (Bronze)
91kg – Heavyweight – Tommy McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett BC, Belfast)
91kg+ – Super-heavyweight – Con Sheehan (Clonmel BC, Tipperary)
Team manager Paul McMahon
Coaches; Billy Walsh, Zuar Antia, Eddie Bolger
Earlier posts:
Jason Quigley will fight for a gold medal tomorrow at the AIBA World Boxing Championships after a superb victory in his semi-final bout in Kazakhstan.
The Donegal man’s win means he will become the first Irish male fighter ever to reach a final at World Championship level.
The Finn Valley Boxing Club orthodox fighter claimed victory in impressive style, despite taking a standing count in the second round against Artem Chebotarev of Russia.
Neither fighter over-commited in the first round, but Quigley edged ahead on the scorecards to lead 29-28.
But Quigley began to take control in the second, winning it on all the judges’ scorecards. And while he took a standing count towards the end of the round, many felt the incident that prompted it was a slip.
Quigley remained in control in the final round, which saw the doctor check Chebotarev three times after he had his nose bloodied. In the end, Quigley claimed a 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 win to book his spot in the final against Kazakhstan fighter Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.
Alimkhanuly did not fight today, progressing to the final after Liverpool middleweight Anthony Fowler was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury.
“In the last round they told me to go after him and I got him with some lovely, heavy shots” – Jason Quigley
Afterwards, Quigley felt the fight went to plan and revealed he went after the Russian in the third on the instruction of his corner.
He said: “We went through the tactics last night. We knew he was going to come at me so the aim was to pick him off as he comes. I knew I had the skill and speed to beat him. In the last round they told me to go after him and I got him with some lovely, heavy shots.
“There was definitely a few times I hurt him in that fight. I didn’t panic and I think that’s experience and learning through the years that when you hurt a man that’s when he is at his most dangerous.
“I kept my composure and kept on him and picked him off with better shots.”
Quigley’s confidence is sky-high ahead of the final and he added: “I’m not going to let anybody get in my way now.”
Quigley’s final will be shown live on RTÉ One tomorrow morning.
Joe Ward had to settle for a bronze medal at the World Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan as the 19-year-old Moate BC southpaw was well beaten on a unanimous decision of 30-27 by Cuban Julio De La Cruz-Peraza in the light-heavyweight semi-final.
Ward was unfortunate perhaps to come up against such an impressive fighter at the semi-final stage but he had no answer to the reigning World Champions’ speed and guile.
Peraza was the heavy favourite before the bout and showed exactly why from the start as he caught the Irish youngster with a quick left hook inside the first few seconds of the opening round.
Ward tried to respond with a left haymaker of his own but the wily Cuban dodged it with ease as hit quickness of foot became apparent.
Peraza was happy to pick him punches and duck back out leaving Ward struggling to connect and although the Irish fighter caught him off balance towards the end of the round, all three judges scored the round 10-9 in favour of the world champion.
The second and third rounds were a similar story, and all three judges scored them 10-9, as the classy Cuban danced around the less mobile Ward, dictating the pace and frustrating the Irishman who began to swing wildly in the hope of landing a knock-out blow.
The Cuban ended the bout in a showboating manner, taunting his opponent, which was unfair on Ward but the Moate fighter can have no complaints about the result and was in no way disgraced against a fighter who looks to be on course for gold.
Source: www.rte.ie
