Ireland experienced a second day of contrasting fortunes at the AIBA World Elite Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Doha, Qatar this afternoon.
Sean McComb advanced, but London 2012 Olympian Adam Nolan bowed out at the last 32 stage despite a massive performance against a current European Elite champion.
McComb beat Lindolfo Garcia-Delgado to progress to the last 16 of an AIBA World Elite Championships for the second time since Baku 2013.
McComb dominated to take the first 10-9 across the board against the lively Mexican lightweight, but despite the Holy Trinity BC man landing the cleaner shots in the second, the judges leaned in favour of Garcia-Delgado.
The Belfast southpaw, however, won the final frame to secure victory – 29-28,29-28,29-28.
He’ll now meet Azerbaijan’s Albert Selimov on Friday in a repeat of the European Games semi-final which the Azeri won in Baku, Azerbaijan in June.
Selimov, who claimed AIBA World gold in Chicago for Russia in 2007, is the No. 3 seed in Doha. The former world champion, who received a bye into the last 16, beat McComb 29-28,29-28,30-27 in Baku, with the Irishman splitting the judges in his favour in the last round.
Nolan was edged out by Lithuania’s Eimantas Stanionis on a split decision (30-27,28-28,29-28) over three, three minute rounds.
Stanionis, ranked No. 13 in the world, got the better of the opening exchanges in the first round, but Nolan finished strong against the AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) fighter.
The AIBA Boxer of the Month for August was in further trouble in frame two, with the Wexford southpaw finding the target with increasing regularity to level the bout on two cards, one judge leaning toward Stanionis.
But the AIBA Boxer of the Month for August took the final stanza on two cards to secure victory. Massive display from Nolan against a world class opponent.
Meanwhile, Brendan Irvine, Irish captain Michael Conlan and Michael O’Reilly will box for places in the quarter-finals tomorrow. The Irish trio are in action in the evening session which begins at 5pm (Irish time).
Joe Ward will meet Oleksandr Kyyzhniak in the last 16 of the AIBA World Elite Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Doha, Qatar on Friday.
The Ukrainian light-heavy, a bronze medallist at the 2015 European Games and a WSB boxer, beat Algeria’s Abdelhafid Bencbala, who beat Ward in the WSB in 2013, on a unanimous verdict today to set up the 81kg meeting with Ireland’s two-time European Elite champion.
Ward, the No. 4 seed, received a bye into the last 16.
AIBA World Elite Championships
(Afternoon and Evening session begin at 12pm and 5pm (Irish time)
October 6th (last 32)
49kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat Nico Hernandez (USA) 3-0
64kg Dean Walsh (Ireland) lost to Luis Dian Arcon (Venezuela) 1-2
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Ireland) beat Valerii Kharlamov (Ukraine) 3-0
October (7th) (Last 32)
60kg Sean McComb (Ireland) beat Lindolfo Garcia Delgado (Mexico) 3-0
69kg Adam Nolan (Ireland) lost to Eimantas Stanionis (Lithuania) 1-2
October 8th (last 16)
49kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) v Muhammet Unlu (Turkey) (E)
56kg Michael Conlan (Ireland) v Robenilson de Jesus (Brazil) (E)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Ireland) v Daniel Lewis (Australia) (E)
October 9th (last 16)
60kg Sean McComb (Ireland) v Albert Selimov (Azerbaijan) (E)
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) v Oleksandr Kyyzhniak (Ukraine) (A)
(A and E = Afternoon or Evening session)
Irish Squad
49kg Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s)
56kg Michael Conlan (Clonard) cpt
60kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
64kg Dean Walsh (St Joesphs/St IBars)
69kg Adam Nolan (Bray)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise)
81kg Joe Ward (AIBA Pro Boxing)
Team Manager: Joe Hennigan
Coaches: Billy Walsh, Zaur Antia, Eddie Bolger
Physiotherapist: Conor McCarthy
Sports Psychologist: Gerry Hussey
Doctor: Jim Clover
Performance Analyst: Alan Swanton
